Every Tree is Capital...!

 

It would not be wrong to call forests the guardians of the environment.

Climate change has become so obvious that those who deny it have no choice but to remain silent. Although Pakistan ranks very low among greenhouse gas producing countries, it ranks eighth among the most endangered countries according to the Global Climate Risk Index.

A country with a weak economy like Akstan faces various types of climate change threats due to its diverse geography. Glacier melting in the mountains, constant flooding, unseasonable and short-lived heavy rains, rising sea levels and desert droughts are now becoming commonplace. According to experts, the root of all these problems is somewhere in the reckless deforestation. On closer inspection, this analysis looks real. Here are some examples.

Due to our "glorious" decisions, the city of gardens, Lahore, is being emptied of trees and becoming a "smog trap", Karachi a "heat trap" and Islamabad a "pollution trap". But the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government must be credited for not only improving the forest and afforestation situation across the country with projects like Billion Tree Forest and now Ten Billion Tree Tsunami under its Green Agenda It has even involved the common man in these projects.

The prosperity and stability of a country is measured not by its foreign exchange reserves but by its natural resources. It is the forest resources that ensure the strength of the economy, the flow of water in the rivers and food security.

According to the IPCC, for the stability of a country's economy and environment, it is necessary to have 25% forest cover, while according to experts, forests in Pakistan are only 5.7% of the total area, i.e., 4.78 million hectares. There are forests.

Deforestation and their unstable systems around the world cause 11% of the world's carbon pollution, and the fact is that global efforts to limit these harmful gases and their rising temperatures below two degrees Cannot be fertile unless forest resources are protected.

A number of initiatives have been taken globally to involve indigenous peoples in forest conservation and management issues around the world, especially in developing countries, most notably the REDD + project. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has introduced a method called Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD +) to prevent deforestation and destabilization. For the first time, the financial status of forest resources has been assessed under this method. For example, a financial estimate of carbon stored in trees was made so that developing countries could be given incentives equivalent to this carbon to prevent deforestation so that they could protect and reduce deforestation.

REDD + is not limited to deforestation or deforestation, but also covers mechanisms such as conservation of the environment and natural resources, sustainable forest management, and augmentation of forests as a carbon repository. ۔

The initial phase of Red Plus activities has been completed under the FCPF-funded project launched in 2015 to join and implement Red Plus in Pakistan. These included the national level, RED strategy, forest monitoring system, emissions estimation, Safeguard information system, consulting and communication.

The plan also included the establishment of a national Red Pulse office to ensure the implementation of forest protection throughout the country in line with Pakistan's commitments and responsibilities under Article 5 of the Cancun Agreement, the Warsaw Framework and the Paris Agreement. Trying to make the main objective of the National Office of Red Plus is to ensure information and preparation and implementation of Red Plus in Pakistan, so that the social, environmental, and technologically stable National Red Plus strategy can be used to green the forest sector. Work can be done in Pakistan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Every tree is precious

Understand that every tree is now valuable after the establishment of Red Plus globally. It is a tank that stores carbon from polluted air. Since each tree reduces a certain amount of carbon from the atmosphere, the forest owner will be financed in return. Provided it is protected from cutting. It is safe to say that every tree is valuable and valuable.

The importance of trees

All the colors of life on earth are due to natural resources. Rich oceans, rivers, the world's highest mountains, hundreds of years old trees, fertile soil, lush fields and colorful biodiversity are our real wealth. Man is actually the inhabitant of two houses, one his personal home and the other the planet. We have to protect both houses equally, but we have inadvertently endangered both our houses.

There is a strong link between the use of land resources and the natural environment, and when human activities disrupt the natural environment, it does not take long for green landscapes to turn into deserts.

Trees or forests seem to be a common resource for us, but the whole of the earth's natural ecosystem revolves around them. These are the seasons that are controlled. It would not be wrong to call forests the guardians of the environment. They absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, provide oxygen, and control temperature and precipitation. Their roots hold the ground firmly. Natural habitats for countless animals and birds and homeland for millions of people.

This diversity of flora and fauna provides a tremendous wealth of food and valuable medicine for human health. Forests provide fuel and wood for construction, fodder for animals, fruits, honey, protein, medicinal liquors and many other raw materials such as glue, wax and glue. Forests also provide fodder for millions of cattle, goats, sheep and camels.

Growing in the country's largest watersheds, this protective veil not only maintains ecosystems but also protects the soil from flooding by keeping it in place. But despite this, deforestation is going on fearlessly not only in Pakistan but all over the world. Even one-third of Brazil's ancient forests have been wiped out. According to scientists, the reduction in the area of ​​these rainforests is increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the rate of forest fires has also increased. Images and surveys taken with the help of the Amazon jungle space planet in the Brazilian region easily show the destruction of the world's densest rainforests.

Forest area in Pakistan

Even in Pakistan, there is no satisfactory situation with regard to forests. According to a recent research report released by the Ministry of Climate Change and Red Plus Pakistan, the forest cover in Pakistan does not exceed 5.45% to 5.67%. It should be noted that this forest area does not include orchards and trees on agricultural lands.

According to the same report, although figures are scarce, deforestation between 2004 and 2012 was estimated at 11,000 hectares per year.

Red Plus and other such programs are certainly commendable for the participation of local people in the restoration and management of forests and for financial incentives in exchange for saving the trees. But it is important that as much information as possible is made available to the general public so that we can see a positive difference in this regard in the years to come.