Green envy: federal, provincial govts united against deforestation

Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan, has assured all provincial forest departments of all-out support in every possible form for increasing the area under forest in the country.

He said that although the forest has become a provincial subject after the 18th constitutional amendment, the importance of forest resources remains intact and the present PML (N)-led government is fully acquainted with it. However, the federal government will leave no stone unturned to join the provincial governments’ efforts for boosting forestry in the country,” Mushahid Ullah Khan said.

Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan further said that the ministry has decided to hammer out a comprehensive plan for boosting area under trees in the country and its protection and conservation through community and private sectors’ involvement.

“Under the national-level plan targets for boosting forest cover will be set in consultation with the provincial forest departments and it would be ensured that these targets are achieved within an stipulated timeframe,” he said and cautioned that these targets are less likely to be achieved until and unless the private sector and indigenous communities in forest areas are not taken on board in this regard.

Mushahid Ullah Khan added that the federal government under the leadership of climate change ministry would lead the massive tree plantation campaign in all provinces to increase area under forest from current five per cent of the total landmass of the country to at least 12 percent within next few years.

Meanwhile, the federal minister encouraged the forest officials to identify loopholes and hurdles to the forest growth in the country propose solutions to deal with them.

Federal Climate Change Secretary, Arif Ahmed Khan, pressed on the need for innovative thinking and approach for boosting tree cover in the country.