PESHAWAR
Spring plantation has been formally started across Khyber Pakthunkhwa including seven merged tribal districts where about 107.854 million saplings would be planted with the help of farmers, general public, NGOs and national building departments to offset the growing effects of climate change.
Abid Majeed, Secretary Forests, Environment and Wildlife inaugurated the campaign after planting a sapling of Chinar at Thai forest school at Abbottabad district. Muhammad Tehmasip Khan, Chief Conservator Hazara forest circle and senior officials of the forest department were present on the occasion.
The Secretary was informed that 142.690 million plants have been raised in departmental and private nurseries in KP out of which 103.219 million plants are fit for spring plantation.
Out of 107.854 million target, as many as 103.219 million saplings would be planted with assistance of Government organizations, national building departments, farm forestry, educational institutions, public, village development committees and farmers while 4.635 million through sowing and dibbling in the province.
Under spring afforestation plan, about 34.061 million saplings would be planted in central southern region-I comprising southern circle and seven merged tribal districts, 42.315 million saplings in northern forest region-II including Lower Hazara and Upper Hazara and 26.843 million in Malakand forest region-III Swat consisting Malakand west and Malakand east forest circles respectively.
Besides 63.023 million saplings through departmental plantation, the official said 1.177 million would be planted through mass plantation, 29.071 million through farm forestry, 1.744 million through village development committees, 5.552 million through defense forces and 2.652 million through educational institutions.
To counter climate change, KP Government had launched Billion trees afforstration project (BTAP) in KP where over 1.20 billion saplings were planted during 2014-17. Keeping in view of its enormous success, the project was extended to the entire country on September 2, 2018 under which additional one billion trees would be planted in KP by 2023.
More than 10 new forests were raised under BTAP including Ghari Chandan near Peshawar, which is bigger than Changa Manga and is becoming a key source of ecotourism and wildlife habitats besides mitigating effects of air pollution and climate change.
For the first time, he said olive trees plantation was made part of the 10 billion trees project after its inauguration by the Prime Minister at Azakhel Nowshera on March 15 last year. The Forest Department are going to another program i.e. ‘green, sweet and fruits for all’ under which olive and indigenous bees flora plants including ber and palosa are being planted to promote apiculture, horticulture and fruiti-culture in KP.
BTAP’s plantation has continued in the province under anti-corona SOPs where hundreds of thousands of green jobs were provided to laborers’ during the pandemic, thus saving their families from hunger and starvation.
The Secretary said cooperation of media, academicians, LG representatives and politicians were imperative to help create awareness among masses about importance of forest and wildlife resources and help motivate the general public to make the province lush green.
