Time to develop key natural buffer against climate change

Editorial Nov, 2 2022
Time to develop key natural buffer against climate change
  • 237
  • 0

The government should also focus on other environmental issues and also take action against the timber mafia which is damaging the ecosystem and should come hard on it. Despite overwhelming hue and cry over the climate change effects, no attention is being paid to the very vital issue of deforestation which is also a main contributor of climate-warming emissions. 

Environmentalists have rightly termed it as key natural buffer against climate change which are fast depleting. Our country is no exception. Rather Pakistan  has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. On the other hand, the most unfortunate thing is that our country is also listed among the top 10 countries that are most vulnerable to the climate change effects and the impact of global warming. Experts have even warned that Pakistan will run out of forests within the next 50 years if deforestation continues at the current rate. Numerous reports issued over the years have been highlighting this issue for a long time.  

According to a report regarding deforestation around the globe, 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed every year. Over the last two decades, Pakistan has noticed the loss of trees which is a visible sign of deforestation.  The recent report about how the Pinus halepensis species, otherwise known as the Quetta pine tree, is dying out in the province is the latest case in point.  

In the case of Balochistan's majestic pine forests - at one time amongst the world's largest - the decimation seems to be the result of an unfortunate convergence of a variety of factors.  

These include climate change and its consequences, overgrazing and the felling of trees for fuel, a sinking water table, and the growing practice of using wastewater - which is loaded with toxins - for irrigation purposes.   As a result, these ancient forests, many of them hundreds of years old, are slowly, silently, inexorably dying. Perhaps the mourning must be cumulative, for Balochistan together with other parts of the country, is continuing to lose its rich biodiversity.  

Rapid deforestation is a cause of concern for Pakistan.  Just imagine, deforestation rate in Pakistan, estimated at 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent annually, is the highest in the world, which accounts for a 4-6 percent decline in its wood biomass per annum.  

Experts have warned that Pakistan will run out of forests within the next 50 years if deforestation continues at the current rate. Available reports have been highlighting this issue for a long time.

According to a report regarding deforestation around the globe, 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed every year. The total forest cover in the Pakistan is disputed but a report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) mark it even lower than 2.2 percent of total land.  

Another report indicates that the situation is even worse and that the forest cover is near 1.91 percent.  Pakistan loses 42,000 hectares or 2.1 percent of its forests every year. Some of the world's most unique trees, including oak, juniper, chilghoza pine, and deodar in Ziarat and Chitral area have been reduced to numbers. We need to be more careful regarding our forests because we have no other survival option than to protect and conserve our natural resources. In Pakistan, the large part of natural forest areas lies in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and KP. Unfortunately, the unabated cutting of trees by the timber mafia reduces forest cover to a large degree. 

According to the UN, countries must have a forest cover of at least 25 percent of their total land while also stressing that cities must have a forest cover of 10 percent.  Experts believe that a country must possess a forest cover of 25 to 30 percent of its total area for sustainable economic growth. The natural forest cover which lies in the country's north part has decreased mostly because people living there have no other way to meet their energy needs. Many areas declared to be forests before partition have now been eliminated.  

Forests are the most biologically-diverse ecosystems on land, home to more than 80% of terrestrial animals and plants.

Forests also provide shelter, jobs, and security for forest-dependent communities. Jalo Park area and Kot Lakhpat are natural forests but with the passage of time can no longer see any sign that these ever existed. However, one is hopeful about the initiatives taken of the by KP and Punjab governments. 

Forest departments seemed to be reluctant toward deforestation issues but with central and provincial governments' initiatives can help mitigate the global warming situation being faced by Pakistan.  

Forest cover has been decreasing due to the negligence of the authorities but in the past few years, the federal and provincial governments seemed to be concerned regarding the issue. New initiatives are required which can be helpful not just to mitigate climate but also can help in coping with the energy crisis.  

There is a dire need to create awareness among the public at large.  As part of the United Nations collaborative planning on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD), a new mechanism has been initiated that involves paying cash credit to developing countries that protect forests and the carbon stored within them. This way, Pakistan can earn between $400 million to $4 billion per year by conserving forests.

Experts say that Pakistan should take advantage of this support because no amount of economic prosperity will save it us from ecological loss and any efforts to remediate ecological loss will cost much more than any economic gain.  A forest is not just a collection of trees; it benefits the environment in a variety of ways.

 And time has come to control the damage to our forests before it is too late. Consistent efforts are required to save our forests which are fast depleting. 

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 03 2022

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

NC Desk
NC Desk https://www.dailynationalcourier.com/author/nc-desk
Daily National Courier is a leading morning English newspaper of twelve pages covering all international and national political developments on 24/7 basis.

NC Big Stories

Education city to be established in Lahore: CM Maryam

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced the establishment of an education city in Lahore, aimed at attracting top global universities to set up campuses. This ambitious initiative is part of her broader vision to enhance educa...

Mariyam Nafees claps back at pregnancy photo critics

Mariyam Nafees, a well-known Pakistani TV actress, recently responded to public criticism following her pregnancy photos posted on Instagram. The actress, who is currently spending time with her husband, Amaan Ahmed, in London, was trolled after shar...

Biden commutes sentences of 37 federal death row inmates

WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row, replacing capital punishment with life imprisonment, the White House announced on Monday. The decision comes weeks before Presi...

Bilawal Bhutto calls for urgent need to combat climate change, potential floods

JAMSHORO: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari emphasised the urgent need for action to combat climate change and prepare for potential floods during his address at the Sindh University convocation. Calling climate change the...

More like this
Related

Challenges in eradicating polio

The last anti-polio campaign of this year is underway across the country and a total of more than 4.5 million children across the country have been targeted to be vaccinated against polio by December 22.   Although efforts have been underway in...

Unrest among Taliban

Today, the news is being discussed a lot that the activities of the banned TTP in Mianwali and Chakwal are increasing at a very fast pace and if strict action is not taken immediately, this fire will have the capacity to burn a lot. It is being beli...

Paradigm shift in tax system

The reason why government departments dealing with public dealings generally become a breeding ground for corruption is the direct link between government officials and citizens.   As a result, the national treasury is deprived of legitimate rev...

National harmony: need of the hour

No country can afford chaos and bloodshed. It is inevitable to discourage the politics of chaos and disorder. This creates law and order problems and also severely damages the country’s economy. The PTI leadership has adopted a path of confron...
Need Help? Chat with us