FAO marks World Water and Forest Day

Local communities engaged to conserve forests

ISLAMABAD:

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations marked World Water and Forest day in a joint event held with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Pir Mehar Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS AAUR).

The event was attended by experts from NGOs, international NGOs, academia and the Ministry of Climate Change.

Special Assistant to PM on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam speaking at the event highlighted the government's efforts in forest restoration in the country.

He stated that the government has started a ten-billion trees tsunami project in twelve ecological zones of the country, which is targeting over a million hectare of forest restoration. He said that the initiatives are people-centred, which have created half-a-million green jobs.

The restoration of forests goes hand in hand with the development and well-being of the people living in those areas.

A recent example is the mangroves forest in the south of Pakistan, which has increased by 300%. This project is employing rural women folk along the coastlines as protectors of these mangroves.

He further stated that forest in Pakistan is not only necessary but they are essential for the wellbeing of the locals living there.

FAO Representative Rebekah Bell stated that forest play important role in the environment; preventing climate change and improving local livelihoods. However, in many countries, including Pakistan, the forest resource and related ecosystems are under a serious threat of degradation.

The situation demands a business as usual approach is no longer an option for managing forests and related resources in the current climate change context. The paradigm shift requires the identification, scaling up best practices and knowledge sharing by all partners.

Pakistan is the fifth most climate-impacted country in the world and this is negatively affecting the livelihoods of the communities especially those living in the mountain areas of the country and who rely on forest ecosystems for their livelihoods.

The density of the majority of Pakistan's forest is under 70% and requires efforts from all to bring these forests back to their potential by applying global best practices of Natural Resource Management, she said.

She further stated that FAO Pakistan is implementing a number of projects, which contribute significantly to the government of Pakistan's efforts for forest restoration. The Chilgoza GEF funded project jointly implemented by FAO and the Ministry of Climate Change seeks to reverse forest degradation and deforestation in high conservation Chilgoza pine forest.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2021.