PESHAWAR: As part of measures to address concerns about global warming, the Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), taking prompt measures during the last four years, preserved the forests and increased the area under forest by 6.3 per cent.
According to Forest, Environment and Wildlife Secretary Nazar Hussain Shah, during the past four years, 1,874 vehicles used in timber smuggling were confiscated along with levying a fine of Rs72.147 million.
The provincial cabinet last week approved waiving off of duty from timber imported through the seaports in an attempt to ensure the preservation of forests in the province. The decision is expected to reduce the dependence on local timber for domestic construction usage, thereby ensuring the preservation of forests in the province.
During the past four years, 800,000 cubic ft. of timber had been imported to the local market for the mentioned purpose, Nazar Hussain said here Monday. Similarly, during the past four years, 164,363 cubic ft. of illegal timber worth Rs300 million had been confiscated whereas 13,244 pending cases had been resolved through which a total of Rs238.78 Million had been recovered successfully, he added.
The secretary further said that 731 people involved in illegal activities had been sent to prisons.
Nazar Hussain further said that 141,305 kanals of land worth Rs50 billion had successfully been recovered from illegal occupants during the past four years.
“Additionally, a total of Rs1455.4 million has been generated by the department during the past four years whereas Rs1876.76 million have also been received under the forest development fund,” he said.
According to the secretary, KP government’s initiative for plantation of 1 billion trees in the province had provided direct and indirect employment and livelihood opportunities to almost 500,000 people throughout the province.
The billion trees plantation project had received international recognition from World Economic Forum, IUCN, WWF, APAP and COP21. KP had emerged the only province out of 45 countries which had successfully achieved the target set by the BONN challenge for afforestation.
Besides China, Ethiopia and India, Pakistan had emerged the fourth country because of the Billion Tree Afforestation Project (BTAP) of KP to have met the BONN challenge target before its due deadline.
The BTAP project will not only help in controlling pollution in the province but will also help in overcoming the two degrees rise in temperature, along with 15 per cent reduction in rainfall in the southern districts of the province.
