10 Billion Tree Tsunami Pakistan
By: Frank Landman
Pakistan has suffered the most from deforestation in Asia. Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. Only 5% of the country has forest cover, against a global average of 31%. Glaciers in the mountains are melting, there are many floods. Since 1998, climate change has cost Pakistan $3.8 billion.
This is exacerbated by the large population (the fifth most populous country in the world) that is putting increasing pressure on the environment. In addition, according to the World Bank, more than 24% of Pakistan's population lives in poverty, putting them at greater risk of climate change impacts.
It led to Imran Khan, when a provincial politician and until April this year the Prime Minister of Pakistan, supporting a program called a "Billion Tree Tsunami." It involved restoring 350,000 hectares of forests and degraded land.
The project aimed to improve the ecosystems of classified forests, as well as private waste and agricultural land, and therefore involves close cooperation with concerned communities and other stakeholders. This involved raising awareness about the importance of trees. Trees strengthen riverbanks and counteract erosion and also reduce the risk of flooding. The initiative reached its provincial goal in 2017.
The project was so successful that federal officials expanded the project nationally in 2019 with a new goal of 10 billion trees, or the "Ten Billion Tree Tsunami."
The Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project works from the vision aimed at green growth. This aligns with the needs for sustainable forestry development, green job generation, gender empowerment, preserving Pakistan's natural capital and addressing the global problem of climate change.
The ambitious project is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The 'Ten Billion Trees Tsunami' not only helps restore distressed ecosystems and improve natural capital; it also supports livelihoods. The project is expected to create jobs for nearly 85,000 day laborers. In addition, it will create nearly 7,000 jobs in the long run.
The ambitious project planted 1.42 billion trees between 2019 and December 2021, covering 1.36 million hectares in nearly 10,000 locations.
Direct planting accounts for about 40% of new trees the other 60% comes from assisted regeneration, with the community being paid to protect existing forests so trees can reproduce and thrive.
The goal is to have planted approximately 3.2 billion trees by 2023. By 2028, all 10 billion trees must be planted!
More than 1 tree per person for the whole world!
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Tree planting is the surest way to revamp the ecological footprint of Pakistan
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Climate change actions in Pakistan. Reforestation is key to restoring climate.
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Let's keep planting more trees.