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[VIDEO] Imran Khan says Pakistan will plant 10 billion trees

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TSA321

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http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/07/27/imran-khan-promises-greener-future-pakistan/

Imran Khan is aiming to plant 10 billion trees in five years as prime minister of Pakistan.

It is a scaling up of the “billion tree tsunami” his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, restoring 350,000 hectares of forest.

The cricketer-turned-politician claimed election victory on Thursday, although PTI is expected to rely on coalition partners to govern. While his campaign focused on anti-corruption, it also promised several environmental initiatives.

Malik Amin Aslam, who drafted the climate change section of the PTI manifesto and is tipped as environment minister, told Climate Home News green growth was key.

“PTI is the one party which has taken a bold initiative on the green platform,” he said. “Pakistan is facing the brunt of climate change, so I think climate preparation, making sure our development is totally climate compatible, our infrastructure is resilient to climate shocks, is going to be very high priority.”

In one of its first acts following the election, PTI circulated a list of 10 calls to action for Pakistanis, including “plant a tree” and “save water and electricity”.

Its manifesto pledges include dam-building and water conservation initiatives to tackle drought; introducing green building codes and supporting clean energy.

Citing a desire to reduce reliance on imports, it also promotes increased use of domestic coal reserves from Thar province. Much of the investment in coal has come from China, which is described as a “golden opportunity” for Pakistan.

Aslam said these projects were already in progress and PTI’s focus would be to make sure they complied with environmental standards, while developing Pakistan’s hydro, wind and solar resources.


This had been the approach for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, he said, where PTI drove the installation of 300 micro hydropower units.

In a 2015 interview with Climate Home News, Khan criticised the federal government of the time for allocating “paltry funds” to its climate change ministry – less than $400,000 that year.

Khan also spoke about the impact climate change was already having on Pakistan and called industrialised nations to account for their historic pollution.

“We unfortunately do not have the luxury to waste time on our side as far as climate change is concerned. We in Pakistan are actually living through the age of urgent climate adaptation,” he said.

“Rich countries should not only assist Pakistan in mitigation and adaptation efforts but also compensate us for the tremendous economic losses we face each year.”

Ali Tauqeer Sheik, chief executive of Islamabad-based thinktank Lead Pakistan, urged the new government to do more to protect poor and marginalised people from the impacts of climate change.

“His emphasis on forestry is a very encouraging one – we hope that the area under forest increases,” said Sheik. But he added: “Mr Imran Khan’s [acceptance] speech did not even mention the climate challenge and climate vulnerability… The most important thing for a developing country that is as vulnerable as Pakistan is is to first have a clear vision.”
 
This is one of the projects I'm most excited about. Can't wait to see Pakistan's forests being restored as well as cities being beautified with greenery!
 
This is very good incentive.

It’s good to see PTI focusing on a number of issues facing the country.
 
Need to plant at least 1 crore in Karachi and Lahore alone.
 
Climate change is actually the biggest threat to Pakistan, the next government MUST take serious measures against it.
 
brilliant. less money needs to be spent on military- ive stated this numerous times in 2 other threads, we do not need to purchase toys for the military
 
Mian said:
Need to plant at least 1 crore in Karachi and Lahore alone.
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Probably more. The last time I was in Karachi I was appalled by the environmental standards.

I hope there are also efforts made regarding recycling and waste disposal facilities.
 
Pakistanian said:
They need more grass in Pakistan, last time I visited it was so dusty.
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I second this! It's not just about trees or greenhouse gases, the general environment really needs a big overhaul. Way too much dust in Pakistan, if they put more grass and shrubs everywhere, it'll make a serious difference.
 
Loralai said:
Probably more. The last time I was in Karachi I was appalled by the environmental standards.

I hope there are also efforts made regarding recycling and waste disposal facilities.
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It's in the pipeline, PTI do have plans for it. The main issue right now is the provincial government. Hopefully we can try and get these things done through federal funding and KMC, etc.
 
Bravo, I hope he is successful in this plan. We need more awareness on climate change issue...
 
I hope 2 billions of those are in Karachi alone.... my God I'm visiting right now and Karachi is even more devoid of vegetation than it was last time and that was miniscule to begin with.
 
Brilliant . Expect the average junta to ridicule him in a years time though , most people in SC especially dont care about these things .
 
Let it sink in that a Pakistani Government is more progressive on climate change than the President of the United States (who is beholden to fossil fuel lobby).

The damaging effects of climate change is not something that'll make itself apparent 50-60 years from now. Already we're seeing water shortages in countries like South Africa, smog causing public health issues, droughts, and increasing frequency of extreme weather events.

Eventually even food security will be threatened due to the effect on agricultural production - which will be disasterous for an economy like Pakistan's with its large agrarian sector and vast population.

That's why it's imperative to take action now. Trees will absorb CO2 and also help food production - I read how in Niger areas where trees have been planted or naturally regenerated, there has been an increase in food production by 600,000 tonnes a year. So this isn't just about making the landscape look pretty (that's an added bonus) - this has practical benefits.

Trees also help reduce peak flood heights and with Pakistan's recent history of fatal floods this could be a potentially life saving initative.
 
Markhor said:
Let it sink in that a Pakistani Government is more progressive on climate change than the President of the United States (who is beholden to fossil fuel lobby).

The damaging effects of climate change is not something that'll make itself apparent 50-60 years from now. Already we're seeing water shortages in countries like South Africa, smog causing public health issues, droughts, and increasing frequency of extreme weather events.

Eventually even food security will be threatened due to the effect on agricultural production - which will be disasterous for an economy like Pakistan's with its large agrarian sector and vast population.

That's why it's imperative to take action now. Trees will absorb CO2 and also help food production - I read how in Niger areas where trees have been planted or naturally regenerated, there has been an increase in food production by 600,000 tonnes a year. So this isn't just about making the landscape look pretty (that's an added bonus) - this has practical benefits.

Trees also help reduce peak flood heights and with Pakistan's recent history of fatal floods this could be a potentially life saving initative.
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Doesn't Pakistan plan to spend billions of dollars in the next 15 years on new Coal power plants under CPEC? How is it progressive when other South Asian countries have plans to get rid of these?
 
Markhor said:
Let it sink in that a Pakistani Government is more progressive on climate change than the President of the United States (who is beholden to fossil fuel lobby).

The damaging effects of climate change is not something that'll make itself apparent 50-60 years from now. Already we're seeing water shortages in countries like South Africa, smog causing public health issues, droughts, and increasing frequency of extreme weather events.

Eventually even food security will be threatened due to the effect on agricultural production - which will be disasterous for an economy like Pakistan's with its large agrarian sector and vast population.

That's why it's imperative to take action now. Trees will absorb CO2 and also help food production - I read how in Niger areas where trees have been planted or naturally regenerated, there has been an increase in food production by 600,000 tonnes a year. So this isn't just about making the landscape look pretty (that's an added bonus) - this has practical benefits.

Trees also help reduce peak flood heights and with Pakistan's recent history of fatal floods this could be a potentially life saving initative.
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50 to 60 years?? :broad


17 of the last 18 years have been the hottest in the worlds history
 
BlackShadow said:
Doesn't Pakistan plan to spend billions of dollars in the next 15 years on new Coal power plants under CPEC? How is it progressive when other South Asian countries have plans to get rid of these?
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Let Asad Umar tell you. Great talk btw

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-4wnHtM-y7M" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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Pakistan's greenhouse emissions are already quite low, I think the focus should be to decrease the toxicity in air that comes with environmentally devastating power sources like coal. Look at India, 7 times the forest cover compared to Pakistan and yet we are living with some of the worst air quality.
 
I hope they do something about cars/trucks who pollute air. Air is filled with smoke.
 
Great, these are the things a leader must talk about, great start by PM Imran Khan.
 
NAB detects over Rs462m loss in initial inquiry into Billion Tree Tsunami

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has detected a loss of over Rs 462 million to the public exchequer in an initial inquiry into PTI’s flagship Billion Tree Tsunami Project.

The NAB regional office has recommended to the headquarters for upgrading the inquiry along with authorization for 4 separate investigations and six inquiries to unearth the mega scam in KP.

It is pertinent that NAB Chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal had authorized the inquiry on March 26, 2019, against the Billion Tree Tsunami Project after media reports. An officer told this scribe that they (NAB officials) had checked only 10 to 20 percent of only one region out of three regions. This is the smallest region compared to Hazara and Swat regions. NAB sourcesconfirm that the matter is under scrutiny as per law. Media is requested to avoid speculations in this regard.

The KP government during its first tenure had started the Billion Tree Tsunami Project in 2014 and Rs 14.32 billion were utilized for the project execution by the forest department.

According to the NAB sources, 24 different complaints were received at Peshawar bureau of ghost payments, nepotism and favoritism in selection of nurseries. Overlapping of plantation of the other project was also pointed out by complainants. Some of the complaints were regarding payments made for plants different from the actually purchased ones.

Allegations of ghost labour, misappropriation and embezzlement of daily wages, enclosures failure and payments against ghost plantations were also received.

According to official documents available with Jang, during the initial inquiry based on proceedings conducted so far a loss of Rs 462 million has been detected. NAB reports further disclose that due to the shortfall in the hectare-wise plantation area in Dera Ismail Khan a loss of Rs 80.044 million has been detected.

An embezzlement of plants in farm forestry/ free distribution in KP worth of Rs 359.01 million has been found during the inquiry. Furthermore, embezzlements on account of sowing /dibbling of seeds and salaries paid to nighebans (caretakers) of enclosures in DI Khan amount to Rs 10.62 million.

An embezzlement of Rs 2.5 million was found in 411,000 plants received from other divisions in Bannu. A watch tower was constructed in DI Khan without any PC 1 resulting in irregularities of Rs 10.0 million.

The regional NAB office has recommended the headquarters to convert the ongoing inquiry into proper investigation to probe the case. It further recommended four investigations against the Divisional Forest Officer and others regarding misuse of authority, embezzlement, corruption and corrupt practices and execution of BTAP against Divisional Forest Officer of Dera Ismail Khan along with region 1, 2, 3 i.e. Hazara and Swat

Furthermore six additional inquiries are also recommend against the officers and officials of the KP forest department and others regarding embezzlement, misappropriation, corruption, and corrupt practices in procurement of seeds , polythene bags ,machinery, vehicles and office equipment in forest region 1, 2,3.

It was further recommend that three inquiries may kindly be approved against all three regional officers and officials of the forest department regarding corruption and corrupt practices in plantation and enclosures of the province.
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/59...-in-initial-inquiry-into-billion-tree-tsunami

As I have said before, PTI is the most corrupt and incompetent government in KP history.

Now it is time to abuse NAB again.
 
Mamoon said:
NAB detects over Rs462m loss in initial inquiry into Billion Tree Tsunami



https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/59...-in-initial-inquiry-into-billion-tree-tsunami

As I have said before, PTI is the most corrupt and incompetent government in KP history.

Now it is time to abuse NAB again.
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Let them charge the crooks but it's you does rona dona and runs when challenged. So here is your chance to explain what happened to the trillion in Sindh and what happened with the omni group? NAB are useless and will do nothing. It needs to be scrapped. All the corrupt need to be hanged including people in the PTI.
 
uberkoen said:
but but but PTI isn't corrupt even though they're incompetent!
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They aren't corrupt or incompetent. They have done an incredible job against the the different mafias in PK. BTW why did you run from the MR money thread and its link to the Sharifs, you went on for ages about no link with Sharif's and when it was posted you ran off.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The magic of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BillionTreeTsunami?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BillionTreeTsunami</a> - same person, same site, 3 years apart <a href="https://t.co/8Dtf6aHInl">pic.twitter.com/8Dtf6aHInl</a></p>— Malik Amin Aslam (@aminattock) <a href="https://twitter.com/aminattock/status/1248997692874928128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistan innovates in the time of COVID19. With daily wagers out of jobs, our govt is employing a number of them as part of the massive 10 Billion Tree Campaign - impacting lives and the planet positively at the same time. Every initiative counts. <a href="https://t.co/3ajFP7lFNT">pic.twitter.com/3ajFP7lFNT</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1249000383449640961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Abdullah719 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistan innovates in the time of COVID19. With daily wagers out of jobs, our govt is employing a number of them as part of the massive 10 Billion Tree Campaign - impacting lives and the planet positively at the same time. Every initiative counts. <a href="https://t.co/3ajFP7lFNT">pic.twitter.com/3ajFP7lFNT</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1249000383449640961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
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This is a really good move. It is good for both economy and environment.

Well done, Imran.
 
Billion Tree Project: Honey production rises by 70%

The production of honey has increased by 70% due to the plantation of thousands of trees under the Billion Tree Project in the Changa Manga artificial forest.

The beehives were auctioned in 2016 for Rs729,000, but now the amount has increased to Rs1.3 million. Forest Department’s officials said complete implementation of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Billion Tree Project can lead to increasing the amount received from the auction of honey in Changa Manga to Rs10 million.

Forest Officer Shahid Tabassum said 85% of the forest had been planted in the past few years, due to which there had been an unusual increase in bees.
“Hundreds of beehives can be seen in the Changa Manga forest,” he said. “In the financial year 2016-17, the honey was auctioned for Rs729,000 and in 2017-18 for Rs1.15 million,” he added. Similarly, in 2018-19, the honey was auctioned for Rs1.252 million, while during the current financial year the auction fetched Rs1.3 million.

Local people of Changa Manga said that along with the use of pesticides and fertilisers in crops, trees had been brutally cut down from forests, agricultural areas and along canals and roads, due to which honeybees were finding less places to make hives, while flowers were also not available.

The flowers from which the bees get nectar also became toxic because of the pesticides and fertilisers, due to which the bees died. Hence the production of natural honey was declining and people were forced to buy the processed varieties. Dozens of people are seen selling fake honey with wrong labels at Changa Manga nowadays.

Forest Officer Tabassum said that four types of bees are found in Pakistan, named Domna, Pahari, small and European. Domna, Pahari and small are local bees, while the European species (Apis Mellifera) was brought from Australia.

“The best is European bee because it produces more honey than others,” he said. He added that there are a large number of bees in other forests in the province.

The official maintained that the bees also make hives on the trees planted at canal banks. However, in most places, local people remove the hives. Abdul Rahman, a young man who collects honey from the beehives, said they also provide wax which is sold. He added that a teaspoon of honey contains nectar from about 5,000 flowers.

“A honeybee flies 3.5 million times and travels 50 thousand kilometers to make half a kilogramme of honey,” he said. He added that honeybees lay 15,000 eggs a day and 2.5 million in one season. Honeybees remember the flower scents while moving around and return with its help after accumulating honey in their stomachs, he said.

Experts say that about 400 tonnes of honey is imported annually to Pakistan, which is only two per cent of the total demand.

Most of the need for honey is fulfilled from local production. Wild honey is rare, while farm honey is found frequently.

In addition to honey and wax, green pollen, royal jelly, a compound called propolis and bee stings are also obtained from the hives. They are used in different fields.

The propolis is sold at Rs1,000 per kilogramme, wax Rs1,100, pollen Rs2,000 and royal jelly for up to Rs30,000 per kg.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2202140/1-billion-tree-project-honey-production-rises-70/
 
Proud moment when World Economic Forum used images of Pakistan mountains and our ten billion tree tsunami project in the video for their trillion tree project.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Indus?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Indus</a> river plantation launched by <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImranKhanPTI</a> himself, became a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/forest?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#forest</a> now <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DIKHAN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DIKHAN</a> was No 1 during <a href="https://twitter.com/btap2015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@btap2015</a> & now we aim to keep that spot under <a href="https://twitter.com/Plant4Pak?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Plant4Pak</a> it has also controlled erosion on the vulnerable banks of the river <a href="https://twitter.com/PakPMO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PakPMO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AliAminKhanPTI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AliAminKhanPTI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/aminattock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@aminattock</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PTIofficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PTIofficial</a> <a href="https://t.co/9OEpJeOjPU">pic.twitter.com/9OEpJeOjPU</a></p>— Faisal Amin Khan (@FaisalAminKhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaisalAminKhan/status/1255177203417075715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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When construction worker Abdul Rahman lost his job to Pakistan's coronavirus lockdown, his choices looked stark - resort to begging on the streets or let his family go hungry.

But the government has now given him a better option: Join tens of thousands of other out-of-work labourers in planting billions of trees across the country to deal with climate change threats.

Since Pakistan locked down on March 23 to try to stem the spread of COVID-19, unemployed day labourers have been given new jobs as "jungle workers", planting saplings as part of the country's 10 Billion Tree Tsunami programme.

Such "green stimulus" efforts are an example of how funds that aim to help families and keep the economy running during pandemic shutdowns could also help nations prepare for the next big threat: climate change.

"Due to coronavirus, all the cities have shut down and there is no work. Most of us daily wagers couldn't earn a living," Rahman, a resident of Rawalpindi district in Punjab province, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

He now makes 500 rupees ($3) a day planting trees - about half of what he might have made on a good day, but enough to get by.

"All of us now have a way of earning daily wages again to feed our families," he said.

The ambitious five-year tree-planting programme, which Prime Minister Imran Khan launched in 2018, aims to counter rising temperatures, flooding, droughts and other extreme weather conditions in the country that scientists link to climate change.

Big risks

The Global Climate Risk Index 2020, issued by think-tank Germanwatch, ranked Pakistan fifth on a list of countries most affected by planetary heating over the last 20 years - even though the South Asian nation contributes only a fraction of global greenhouse gases.

As the coronavirus pandemic struck Pakistan, the 10 Billion Trees campaign was initially halted as part of social distancing orders put in place to slow the spread of the virus, which has infected more than 14,880 people in Pakistan, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

But earlier this month, the prime minister granted an exemption to allow the forestry agency to restart the programme and create more than 63,600 jobs, according to government officials.

A recent assessment by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics found that, due to the lockdown, up to 19 million people could be laid off, almost 70 perfect of them in the Punjab province.

Abdul Muqeet Khan, chief conservator of forests for Rawalpindi district, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the planting project is in "full swing".

Much of the work is happening on 15,000 acres (6,000 hectares) of land near the capital Islamabad, he said, as well as on other tracts of state-owned forest land around the country.

This year, the programme is employing triple the number of workers it did in its first year, said Malik Amin Aslam, climate change adviser to the prime minister.

Many of the new jobs are being created in rural areas, he said, with a focus on hiring women and unemployed daily workers - mainly young people - who were migrating home from locked-down cities.

The work, which pays between 500-800 rupees ($3-5) a day, includes setting up nurseries, planting saplings, and serving as forest protection guards or forest firefighters, he said.

All the workers have been told to wear masks and maintain the mandated two metres (six feet) of social distance between them, he added.

"This tragic crisis provided an opportunity and we grabbed it," Aslam told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview.

"Nurturing nature has come to the economic rescue of thousands of people."

Extended help

According to Germanwatch, Pakistan reported more than 150 extreme weather events between 1999 and 2018 - from floods to heatwaves - with total losses of $3.8bn.

Environmentalists have long pushed reforestation as a way to help, saying forests help prevent flooding, stabilise rainfall, provide cool spaces, absorb heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions and protect biodiversity.

According to green group WWF, Pakistan is a "forest poor" country where trees cover less than 6 percent of the total area.

With 7.5 billion rupees ($46m) in funding, the 10 Billion Trees project aims to scale up the success of an earlier Billion Tree Tsunami in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the government has been planting trees since 2014.

About 30 million Indigenous saplings have been planted in Punjab since the start of the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami - including mulberry, acacia and moringa - said Shahid Rashid Awan, project director for Punjab province.

This year, the project hopes to hit 50 million trees, he said.

Planting season usually ends in May, Awan noted, but programme organisers plan to extend the initiative to the end of June, to keep workers employed for longer.

"We can absorb all the unemployed labourers and workers who have fled the cities and returned to their villages in the past few weeks. This is unskilled work," he said.

Recovering with dignity

Rab Nawaz, of WWF-Pakistan, said the government's move is "a very good idea to create green jobs and get people employed".

But he cautioned that planting trees is just one tool in the fight against climate change, saying there also needed to be an investment in improving the ability of farmers and city dwellers to adapt to the effects of a hotter planet.

"The government should be very selective on how it spends money, and focus on resilience," he urged.

For Aslam, the green jobs initiative is a way to help Pakistan's workers recover from the coronavirus crisis "with dignity and avoiding handouts".

"This has taught us the valuable lesson that when you invest in nature it not only pays you back, but also rescues you in a stressed economic situation," he said.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...orkers-hired-plant-trees-200429070109237.html
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Killing two birds with one stone: giving people employment as well planting trees. <a href="https://t.co/ZrYs6ZarO3">pic.twitter.com/ZrYs6ZarO3</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1256147726120685569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is an amazing idea. CM<a href="https://t.co/aytigChX13">https://t.co/aytigChX13</a></p>— Coldplay&#55356;&#57113;☀️ (@coldplay) <a href="https://twitter.com/coldplay/status/1265691113404485638?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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PTI govt to offer jobs to 'climate change migrants' in Billion Tree Tsunami project

With hundreds of people forced to migrate due to climate change amidst the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the government has said that it is trying to soften the blow by offering them jobs in the Billion Tree Tsunami project under its ‘Green Stimulus’ package.

This was disclosed by the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Climate Change Chairperson Munaza Hassan on Thursday while speaking in an online dialogue on ‘Gender and Climate Change: Challenges for Climate-Induced Migrants Amid Covid-19’. The dialogue had been organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Thursday.

Hassan, who is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA elected on reserved seat for women, said that her party is fully cognizant of the issues faced by the people, particularly the climate change-induced migrant population amidst the pandemic.

In this regard, she pointed to the steps taken to address their issues in the Green Stimulus Package such as jobs under the Billion-Tree Tsunami project.

These jobs, she said, are open to women as well.

Hassan further pointed to the steps taken by the government to support vulnerable families during the pandemic.

On the legislative side, she said that a law on women’s right to inheritance is being created which will help empower women, especially in the rural areas. ActionAid Global Climate Lead Harjeet Singh told participants of the meeting that as many as 33.4 million new migrations across the globe were recorded in 2019 which had been induced by climate change.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/225052...change-migrants-billion-tree-tsunami-project/
 
Pakistan's tree-planting push has a sweetener: more honey

CHANGA MANGA: When authorities started planting millions of trees in eastern Pakistan’s Changa Manga Forest five years ago, the idea was to bring back life to forest land that had been destroyed by illegal logging, water scarcity and fires.

Now that the trees have matured, they are having an even sweeter side-effect - helping to boost the local bee population and honey production in the area.

As part of Pakistan’s efforts to offset the impacts of climate change by rehabilitating forests, conserving soil and improving water management, 3.5 million trees were planted on 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) in Changa Manga, known as one of the world’s largest man-made forests, near the city of Lahore.

Beekeepers in the plantation said they are now harvesting up to 70% more honey than before the greening project started in 2014, as the trees provide a habitat for bees and create conditions for a growing diversity of plants and flowers.

“As more of the plantation has been created, our honey production has kept on increasing,” said Bilal Hussain, a beekeeper in Changa Manga whose father runs the forest’s honey operations.

“We will get even more income over the next four to five years,” Hussain said excitedly, as he extracted honey from a piece of honeycomb to pack into bottles to sell at his shop.

The amount of honey harvested by beekeepers in the 12,500-acre forest almost doubled from 725 kg (1,600 pounds) in the fiscal year 2018-2019 to about 1,300 kg in 2019-2020, said forest officer Shahid Tabassum.

And the amount of sticky stuff coming out of Changa Manga is estimated to keep rising to about 2,000 kg in the next fiscal year, Tabassum added.

The old forest had three main species of trees, to which at least seven have been added, he noted.

“The forest cover plays an important role in the increase of honey production because honeybees get shelter, shade and water from the trees,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Globally, there has been a drastic decline in bee numbers, largely due to intensive agriculture, pesticide use and climate change, environmentalists say.

A study published in the journal Science in April found that the world’s population of land-dwelling insects is falling by almost 1% every year.

EXPORT SUCCESS

The boost in honey production is sweet relief for Pakistan, a cash-strapped country that got a $6-billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund last year.

Pakistan has seen a drop in its exports and foreign remittances since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, according to independent economist Vaqar Ahmed.

He expects to see a further decline in the money coming into Pakistan as European and Gulf countries continue to wrestle with the economic effects of the outbreak.

Most of Pakistan’s remittances come from Gulf states, while European Union nations are the main markets for its exports, he explained.

Pakistan’s exports dropped from $20.1 billion in July-April 2019 to about $19.6 billion in the same period this year, data from the State Bank of Pakistan shows.

But industry experts expect honey to buck that trend.

In the financial year 2018-2019, Pakistan exported honey worth 966 million rupees ($5.8 million), about 260 million rupees more than the year before, according to the government’s Honeybee Research Institute (HBRI) in Islamabad.

Figures for this year’s honey exports are not available yet.

But industry insiders predicted they will keep going up, as the country’s beekeepers benefit from the trees in Changa Manga along with Pakistan’s ongoing push to reforest the country under its “10 Billion Tree Tsunami” project, launched last year.

Pakistan has 7,000 commercial beekeepers looking after more than 1 million beehives but has enough space for double that number, according to data from the HBRI.

And while planting trees expands the habitat for bees, the pollinators, in turn, help to naturally regenerate more forest areas with a variety of trees, plants and flowers, said Noor Islam, the bee institute’s senior scientific officer.

“Honey production and forestry are interrelated because the honeybees get their food from trees, while trees, as a result, maintain their biodiversity,” he said.

TREES FOR BEES

Malik Amin Aslam, climate change advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan, said that nurturing the relationship between trees and bees is a priority for the 10 Billion Trees project.

He told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that in several honey-producing areas the project is planting bee-friendly trees such as the indigenous bari tree - also known as ziziphus mauritiana or jujube.

The tree’s honey is sought after for its low glucose content, which makes it less likely to crystallise, he said.

But Syed Mahmood Nasir, head of the Islamabad-based Nature Clicks Institution, a non-profit focused on the environment and anthropology, warned that growing Pakistan’s honey industry is not as simple as planting more trees.

Authorities need to be clear on whether they want a replanted forest to produce wild or farmed honey, with each requiring different management and resources, explained Nasir, who was formerly the government’s inspector-general of forests.

Either way, “they should ensure that no pesticides are used within at least 10 miles of the forest”, he added.

For Changa Manga beekeeper Hussain, Pakistan’s bee-boosting reforestation efforts make him optimistic he can carry on the business his father has been running for the last 45 years.

Hussain fondly recalled a childhood spent watching his dad extract honey straight from the beehives to give to customers.

“My biggest motivation for this work is that my father has had a special affection for honey since he was a boy and he doesn’t want this fondness to end,” he said.

“We will do it generation by generation. As long as the forest is there, honey is there.”
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40003385/pakistans-tree-planting-push-has-a-sweetener-more-honey
 
Abdullah719 said:
Pakistan's tree-planting push has a sweetener: more honey

CHANGA MANGA: When authorities started planting millions of trees in eastern Pakistan’s Changa Manga Forest five years ago, the idea was to bring back life to forest land that had been destroyed by illegal logging, water scarcity and fires.

Now that the trees have matured, they are having an even sweeter side-effect - helping to boost the local bee population and honey production in the area.

As part of Pakistan’s efforts to offset the impacts of climate change by rehabilitating forests, conserving soil and improving water management, 3.5 million trees were planted on 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) in Changa Manga, known as one of the world’s largest man-made forests, near the city of Lahore.

Beekeepers in the plantation said they are now harvesting up to 70% more honey than before the greening project started in 2014, as the trees provide a habitat for bees and create conditions for a growing diversity of plants and flowers.

“As more of the plantation has been created, our honey production has kept on increasing,” said Bilal Hussain, a beekeeper in Changa Manga whose father runs the forest’s honey operations.

“We will get even more income over the next four to five years,” Hussain said excitedly, as he extracted honey from a piece of honeycomb to pack into bottles to sell at his shop.

The amount of honey harvested by beekeepers in the 12,500-acre forest almost doubled from 725 kg (1,600 pounds) in the fiscal year 2018-2019 to about 1,300 kg in 2019-2020, said forest officer Shahid Tabassum.

And the amount of sticky stuff coming out of Changa Manga is estimated to keep rising to about 2,000 kg in the next fiscal year, Tabassum added.

The old forest had three main species of trees, to which at least seven have been added, he noted.

“The forest cover plays an important role in the increase of honey production because honeybees get shelter, shade and water from the trees,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Globally, there has been a drastic decline in bee numbers, largely due to intensive agriculture, pesticide use and climate change, environmentalists say.

A study published in the journal Science in April found that the world’s population of land-dwelling insects is falling by almost 1% every year.

EXPORT SUCCESS

The boost in honey production is sweet relief for Pakistan, a cash-strapped country that got a $6-billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund last year.

Pakistan has seen a drop in its exports and foreign remittances since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, according to independent economist Vaqar Ahmed.

He expects to see a further decline in the money coming into Pakistan as European and Gulf countries continue to wrestle with the economic effects of the outbreak.

Most of Pakistan’s remittances come from Gulf states, while European Union nations are the main markets for its exports, he explained.

Pakistan’s exports dropped from $20.1 billion in July-April 2019 to about $19.6 billion in the same period this year, data from the State Bank of Pakistan shows.

But industry experts expect honey to buck that trend.

In the financial year 2018-2019, Pakistan exported honey worth 966 million rupees ($5.8 million), about 260 million rupees more than the year before, according to the government’s Honeybee Research Institute (HBRI) in Islamabad.

Figures for this year’s honey exports are not available yet.

But industry insiders predicted they will keep going up, as the country’s beekeepers benefit from the trees in Changa Manga along with Pakistan’s ongoing push to reforest the country under its “10 Billion Tree Tsunami” project, launched last year.

Pakistan has 7,000 commercial beekeepers looking after more than 1 million beehives but has enough space for double that number, according to data from the HBRI.

And while planting trees expands the habitat for bees, the pollinators, in turn, help to naturally regenerate more forest areas with a variety of trees, plants and flowers, said Noor Islam, the bee institute’s senior scientific officer.

“Honey production and forestry are interrelated because the honeybees get their food from trees, while trees, as a result, maintain their biodiversity,” he said.

TREES FOR BEES

Malik Amin Aslam, climate change advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan, said that nurturing the relationship between trees and bees is a priority for the 10 Billion Trees project.

He told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that in several honey-producing areas the project is planting bee-friendly trees such as the indigenous bari tree - also known as ziziphus mauritiana or jujube.

The tree’s honey is sought after for its low glucose content, which makes it less likely to crystallise, he said.

But Syed Mahmood Nasir, head of the Islamabad-based Nature Clicks Institution, a non-profit focused on the environment and anthropology, warned that growing Pakistan’s honey industry is not as simple as planting more trees.

Authorities need to be clear on whether they want a replanted forest to produce wild or farmed honey, with each requiring different management and resources, explained Nasir, who was formerly the government’s inspector-general of forests.

Either way, “they should ensure that no pesticides are used within at least 10 miles of the forest”, he added.

For Changa Manga beekeeper Hussain, Pakistan’s bee-boosting reforestation efforts make him optimistic he can carry on the business his father has been running for the last 45 years.

Hussain fondly recalled a childhood spent watching his dad extract honey straight from the beehives to give to customers.

“My biggest motivation for this work is that my father has had a special affection for honey since he was a boy and he doesn’t want this fondness to end,” he said.

“We will do it generation by generation. As long as the forest is there, honey is there.”
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40003385/pakistans-tree-planting-push-has-a-sweetener-more-honey
Click to expand...

thats good, hope the illegal loggers get caught - anyone has any pictures of how it looks now / before?
 
What kind of trees? I think trees that produce edible fruits are good. Apple trees, for example.
 
10 billion trees: PM urges people to help govt achieve target

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said a green Pakistan guaranteed a prosperous future for coming generations and urged upon the nation to join hands in achieving the target of 10 billion trees to fight climate change and environmental pollution.

Speaking here at the launch of the monsoon plantation drive 2020 near Kahuta, the Prime Minister said to address the growing pollution levels and national environmental degradation it was vital that concerted efforts were made to plant trees extensively across the country. Khan regretted that the forest cover in Pakistan had rapidly depleted over the years. He pointed that the number of trees in the country at the time of its partition from the Indian sub-continent had decreased to an alarming level.

Imran Khan mentioned the alarming levels of pollution in Lahore and said the lack of trees was a serious threat to human health and said it would be addressed by his government on priority. In this regard, Imran Khan mentioned the recent declaration of nine new national parks in the country and said, the country had 30 such reserved areas since it gained independence in 1947. He said the number of such exclusive zones, where the plants and trees could grow and wild life flourish, would be further enhanced in the days to come.

The Prime Minister said his government had launched an ambitious project to plant 10 billion trees across the country. He said in the past two years, his government had planted 30 million trees, while new nurseries were working at top speed to increase this number to one billion by June next year. "I am sure our government will be able to meet this ambitious target of one billion trees in its five-year term," Khan said.

He said Pakistan was blessed to have 12 diverse ecological zones and it was a national obligation to preserve and protect the natural systems and its flora and fauna. "A Green Pakistan is my dream," Imran Khan said as a large number of school children and their teachers, who were sitting all along the hillside cheered. "It is my appeal to you to plant a tree, but it is all the more important to protect this seedling so that it grows into a healthy tree, and it has to be saved from not only wild animals, but also the mafia that deals in timber," Imran Khan said.

He said 300 wardens had been appointed for the protection of trees in this area alone and said this number would be raised to 3000 in the days to come. The Prime Minister said every school would allocate two hours every week to create awareness amongst the children about the importance of clean and green Pakistan.

He said it was part of the faith of every Muslim to ensure cleanliness, but regretted that the situation was not so encouraging as compared to the West. He said it was vital that the nation worked in unison to make the country clean and green.

Imran Khan recalled his recent directive to the Chief Secretaries of all the provinces to redesign or create master-plans of their cities so that these do not encroach upon agricultural lands and threaten the national food security.

Earlier the Prime Minister launched the drive by planting a sapling. Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul and Advisor Malik Amin Aslam were also present.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40005964/10-billion-trees-pm-urges-people-to-help-govt-achieve-target
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kundian Plantation Brfore and Now.. Mianwali <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/10BillionTreeTsunami?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#10BillionTreeTsunami</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateChange?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ClimateChange</a> <a href="https://t.co/hMtvboxQSU">pic.twitter.com/hMtvboxQSU</a></p>— Ten Billion Tree Tsunami (@btap2015) <a href="https://twitter.com/btap2015/status/1284505069778542600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Abdullah719 said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kundian Plantation Brfore and Now.. Mianwali <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/10BillionTreeTsunami?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#10BillionTreeTsunami</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateChange?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ClimateChange</a> <a href="https://t.co/hMtvboxQSU">pic.twitter.com/hMtvboxQSU</a></p>— Ten Billion Tree Tsunami (@btap2015) <a href="https://twitter.com/btap2015/status/1284505069778542600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Click to expand...

These two pictures are just six months apart. Thank you IK.


A leader doesn't think about the next election, he thinks about the next generation. He might not even live long enough to see all these plantations grow into full fledged forests.
 
Govt plans to plant 200m saplings this monsoon

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has urged the youth and academia to join Prime Minister Imran Khan's “massive plantation initiative” to achieve a whopping target of planting around 200 million saplings during the ongoing monsoon season.

"All-out efforts will be made not only to achieve this target, but also exceed it by a huge margin during the monsoon tree plantation season that will continue till September 30," the adviser said while talking to media in the federal capital on Sunday.

He said the target of planting 200 million saplings was set after due consultations with the provincial forest departments, which shared their approved targets of tree plantation during the three-month monsoon season, which continues from July to September every year.

PM Imran Khan inaugurated the country's largest ever Monsoon Tree Plantation and Protection Campaign 2020 by planting a sapling in Kahuta on July 17, pledging to utilise all possible resources and capacities to enhance the country's forest cover and fight environmental degradation.

Addressing the ceremony, PM Imran had lauded the raging passion of the youth to participate in the plantation campaign across the country, saying "youth and students are the future of Pakistan".

Sharing the details of tree plantation targets, Aslam said as many as 80 million trees would be planted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province followed by 60 million plants in Sindh, 37 million in Punjab, 14 million in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 2.050 million in Gilgit-Baltistan and 0.602 million plants in Balochistan.

“The remaining saplings will be planted by different civil society organizations including International Union for Conservation of Nature-Pakistan and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan.

He said tree plantation targets are set twice a year for spring season (February-March) and monsoon season (June-September), because good rains are received during these months, which adequately soak the soils vital to healthy growth of tree saplings.

"The monsoon season [June-September) is a great opportunity for forests' growth in the country because the four-month wet season is a source of trillions of liters of rainwater needed for the seedlings to grow fast and hold their grip in soil strongly," Aslam said.

He said tree plantation is vital for conserving nutrient-rich soil through regeneration of forests across the country. Tree plantation is a proven method to maintain fertility of the soil and to protect the soil from erosion and nutrient loss.

“Soil conservation is important because soil is crucial for many aspects of the human life and non-living beings. For, it does provide food, filters air and water and helps to decompose biological waste into nutrients for new plant life," the prime minister's aide said.

Aslam said coronavirus pandemic has brought new challenges for the country in terms of job losses and slow-down in economic activities.

“But through tree plantation activities, new green jobs are being created and youth are being engaged in such healthy activities to boost their contribution in the country's fight against climate change.”

He said the tree plantation activities during the ongoing three-month monsoon season will lead to generation of estimated 34,470 green jobs for daily wagers, who have been rendered unemployed because of the pandemic.

"In the past two years, the PTI government has planted 300 million trees across the country, while new nurseries are working at a higher pace to hike this number to one billion by June next year.

Aslam said the present government is committed to boosting the country's forest cover.

“For this purpose, all provincial and federal government organizations, educational institutions, corporate sector, NGOs and media are being approached and engaged to join the government's efforts for reinvigorating the country's ailing forest sector,” he said.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2255775/govt-plans-to-plant-200m-saplings-this-monsoon
 
Syed1 said:
These two pictures are just six months apart. Thank you IK.


A leader doesn't think about the next election, he thinks about the next generation. He might not even live long enough to see all these plantations grow into full fledged forests.
Click to expand...

Dont worry baby zardari will cut these down and sell them off while blaming somebody else.
 
10 billion trees project: Ministry recommends release of Rs 2.45 billion

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives has recommended release of Rs2.45 billion (50 percent) out of the total budgeted allocation of Rs4.9 billion for the first quarter under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2020-21 for phase-I of the "Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme-Up Scaling of Green Pakistan Programme."

The total approved cost of the project is Rs125.184 billion, with the objective of planting trees all over the country, through the Ministry of Climate Change, the ministry said in a statement issued here on Wednesday.

So far, 280 million plants have been cultivated, planted and regenerated, while the project has given employment to 83,224 daily wage workers.

Secretary Planning Mathar Niaz Rana said that on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the government had facilitated the sponsoring and executing agencies in provision and releases of funds timely for smooth implementation of programme and projects.

The Billion Tree Tsunami was launched in 2014, by the Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

According to the Public Sector Development Programme 2020-21, the total estimated cost of the six ongoing schemes of the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) was over Rs125.482 billion and around Rs9.231307 billion were spent on the projects till June 6, 2020, whereas Rs116.250942 billion were throw-forward till July 1, 2020, whereas Rs4.9 billion were allocated for this financial year.

The maximum funding was allocated for Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, which was Rs4.9 billion, whereas Rs9.051 billion had been spent and the total project cost was over Rs125 billion. The project was approved from the ECNEC on August 28, 2019.

https://www.brecorder.com/news/4000...ministry-recommends-release-of-rs-245-billion
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Baloki, Punjab: Massive change visible a yr after we started tree plantation drive, on land recovered from mafia, as part of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/10BillionTreeTsunami?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#10BillionTreeTsunami</a>. As an environmentalist this gives me the greatest satisfaction to leave a green Pakistan for our coming generations. <a href="https://t.co/sgx7fsFlsU">pic.twitter.com/sgx7fsFlsU</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1289177458290225152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Walking around tree's always make me feel happy. Does anyone else feel this way?
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I want everyone to join me tomorrow, 9 Aug, in planting trees all over Pak. Have asked my MPs, ministers, Chief Ministers and Tiger Force to participate in the biggest tree planting campaign in our history. The target is 35 lakh trees in a day though we will try to exceed it.</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1292028530289709058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
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[utube]UETs5jBtUjI[/utube]

BARA: Locals of Mandi Kas area of Khyber Agency's Bara on Sunday uprooted saplings from a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lawmaker's plantation campaign, claiming they were "forcefully planted on private land".

Chaos ensued immediately after PTI lawmaker Iqbal Afridi's campaign — part of the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami initiative being commemorated on the Tiger Force Day — concluded and residents of the area arrived at the site to remove the newly-planted trees.

One of the men who uprooted dozens of plants said the drive had been "forcefully" carried out on "private land" belonging to the locals.

In comments shortly afterwards, MNA Afridi admitted that the plantation campaign had been carried out on private property.

Deputy Commissioner Khyber Mahmood Aslam said a review was being conducted in order to proceed with legal action over the matter. Geo News/via Geo.tv

"The locals were angry over the unauthorised tree plantation campaign," the lawmaker said over telephone. "We're trying to negotiate with them."

However, Deputy Commissioner Khyber Mahmood Aslam said there was dispute between two groups over land owned by the Sipah tribe. "One of the groups gave permission for the plantation drive; the other uprooted them," he said.

Aslam added that authorities were reviewing the situation in order to proceed with legal action over the matter.

KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, on the other hand, has taken notice of the incident and ordered action against those responsible for uprooting the newly-planted trees.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/301948-fo...als-in-bara-uproot-saplings-over-land-dispute
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">From Lower Dir to all parts of the country; from Tigers and youth to the elderly; all came out in huge numbers to plant trees. I want to thank everyone who responded to my call to plant a tree today. <a href="https://t.co/z9UWVMbmVH">pic.twitter.com/z9UWVMbmVH</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1292527439407718405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/10BillionTreeTsunami?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#10BillionTreeTsunami</a> continues to transform landscapes in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KhyberPakhtunkhwa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KhyberPakhtunkhwa</a> with protection and care - this is Agror (2016/2020) turning <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Grey2Green?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Grey2Green</a> <a href="https://t.co/1BcXMV5vPO">pic.twitter.com/1BcXMV5vPO</a></p>— Malik Amin Aslam (@aminattock) <a href="https://twitter.com/aminattock/status/1301700929142521857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Same place just 4 years apart (2016 vs 2020) located in Agror valley in Mansehra, KPK fully transformed by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/10BillionTreeTsunami?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#10BillionTreeTsunami</a> <br><br>When communities come together for a common cause, nothing is beyond reach. <a href="https://twitter.com/Plant4Pak?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Plant4Pak</a> <a href="https://t.co/1xzSTHhTkg">pic.twitter.com/1xzSTHhTkg</a></p>— Ahmed Nabi K. &#55356;&#57137; (@ahmednabiK) <a href="https://twitter.com/ahmednabiK/status/1301860578479276032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday will make a statement at the annual Austrian World Summit as a “Climate Action Hero” and share his vision about climate change, Senator Faisal Javed Khan said.

In a tweet, Faisal Javed said that on the invitation of the former American politician and Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the premier will make a statement via video as one of the climate action heroes.

"Prime Minister Imran will share his vision and how Pakistan is committed to fighting climate change, conserving biodiversity, generating green jobs, alleviating poverty, and energising the country's youth to become custodians of a Green Future,” the premier's aide wrote on Twitter.

Talking about Schwarzenegger’s fight against climate change for nearly 20 years, Khan said that his climate initiative focuses on building awareness of the climate crisis and the urgent need for action every day and once a year at the Austrian World Summit.

Read more: Pakistan takes big stride forward in climate change, meets UN goal decade before deadline

Arnold Schwarzenegger appreciated PM Khan's commitment and steps taken towards fighting climate change, he said, adding that he called him a Climate Action Hero – a strong and important partner in the climate action alliance.

The Austrian World Summit is managed by The Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative , a global matchmaking event for addressing climate change and sharing solutions , according to the organisation's Twitter profile.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/308353-pm...tion-hero-at-4th-annual-austrian-world-summit
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pakistanis are sowing seeds to fight against deforestation, one ball of seeds at a time &#55356;&#57137; <a href="https://t.co/1g01WT8M03">pic.twitter.com/1g01WT8M03</a></p>— Reuters (@Reuters) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1336397636471988225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Pakistan’s arid climate and rocky deserts may seem an unlikely place to look for a green revolution, but the nation of more than 200 million people has begun one of the world’s largest reforestation programs.

The government is in the first phase of planting 3.25 billion trees at an estimated cost of around 105 billion rupees ($650 million), Malik Amin Aslam, minister for climate change said in an interview. Prime Minister Imran Khan wants to extend that to almost 10 billion by the time his term in office ends in 2023.

City of Trees
Trees and plants are grown along the M9 highway in Karachi. Photgrapher: Asim Hafeez/Bloomberg
“We are trying to unleash a green economy,” Aslam said by phone.

The task is enormous. Pakistan is among the six countries that face the biggest impact from climate change, according to the United Nations, with risks of floods, melting glaciers and droughts. Its forest cover is now among the lowest in the world – about 5% of the land, compared with a global average of 31%, according to UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

“Unfortunately, we never cared about them,” said Khan at a tree-planting ceremony in July. “After independence from the British, we have lost forests instead of adding to them.”

Pakistan is planting trees that need relatively little water, like the azadirachta indica, a fast-growing mahogany commonly known as the neem tree. Neems typically don’t need to be watered after the first five years, while the other species that have been chosen only need extra water for the first few months, according to Tabish Hussain, a government-employed forester in Karachi.

Khan has been advocating reforestation since his days as a professional cricketer more than three decades ago. He has added nine new national parks, the first additions since independence in 1947. As provincial ruler of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province he oversaw a billion-tree planting program that raised the region’s forest cover to forest cover to 27%, from 20%, in the five years to 2019.

When Saudi Crown Price Muhammad Bin Salman visited Pakistan for the first time last year, he was invited to add some soil with a shovel and to water a plant at Pakistan’s Prime Minister House. On Aug. 9, Khan asked everyone in the nation to plant a tree, with a target of 3.5 million for the day.

Despite Khan’s efforts to raise public awareness, economic pressures continue to beset the nation’s forests. The need to feed the world’s fifth largest population means that most fertile land has already been turned over to food grains like wheat or cash crops like cotton. Trees are also cut down to make firewood, though the government has tried to curb the practice in recent years.

Critics say the government may struggle to undo the damage to the nation’s forests.

“It’s not enough,” said Lahore-based climate policy consultant Dawar Butt. “The government has other agendas as well.” He said that while the central administration has the environment as a top priority, “actual environment-related laws are broken by state institutions.”

Often in the past, many energy and infrastructure projects skipped public environmental-impact hearings and many construction programs still do, Butt said.

The nation has also been investing heavily in coal, one of the biggest polluters. With Chinese backing, Pakistan inaugurated its biggest coal mine last year and produced a record 20% of its electricity from the fossil fuel in the fiscal year through June. It generated only 3% from solar and wind. The government has set a target of drawing 30% of its power from renewables by 2030.

In addition to restoring some eco-systems and absorbing planet-warming carbon emissions, the tree plantation drive has provided thousand of jobs in a country that struggles with unemployment. “I am hopeful that we can save our nation,” said Khan. “You go to Dubai, its all a desert, they don’t have trees. God has given us everything, we just need to take care of it.”
 
PM Imran launches 'Billion Tree Honey Initiative' to boost honey production

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday launched the 'Billion Tree Honey Initiative' to increase the production of honey through the plantation of trees.

Under the programme, the plantation of trees including Kao, Phulai, Ber, Kikar and other bee flora will be encouraged. A mechanism will be also be provided to support bee flora, improve the quality of honey production, provide livelihoods to beekeepers and sustain the activity through the provision of financial resources, Radio Pakistan reported.

Speaking at the launch ceremony in Islamabad, Prime Minister Imran lauded the idea of using forests for honey production, saying it will provide jobs to locals. "When local people see they will make money and earn income, they will protect forests more than anyone," he said.

He noted that Pakistan's honey exports were very low despite there being a variety of honey in the country.

"We have 12 climatic zones which is very unique; 12 different zones mean 12 different habitats so we can make honey of different varieties," the premier said, adding that the government will assist producers with quality control, without which the product cannot be exported.

Prime Minister Imran also highlighted the potential of growing olive and avocado trees in the country, both of which he said had been planted in his home garden. Through olive plantation, Pakistan could be able to export olive oil and avoid the import of edible oil, he said.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said the Billion Tree Honey programme will help enhance the country's potential to produce 70,000 metric tonnes of honey in a year.

Under the initiative, he said, beekeepers will be trained and the value of the country's honey will be increased in the international market through proper branding and quality certification.

It is anticipated that marketing of 70,000 metric tonnes of honey will generate an income of around Rs43 billion in the national economy and provide about 87,000 green jobs, according to Radio Pakistan.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed among various organisations to promote beekeeping and tree plantation in the country.

Declining forest cover
In his speech, Prime Minister Imran emphasised that one of his government's biggest responsibilities was to reduce environmental degradation and take measures to rescue and improve forest cover, rivers and air pollution.

He said the PTI government was the first to think about planting trees in Pakistan's history.

"We decided that one billion trees will be planted and we were made fun of," he said. "Even now our opponents don't admit that this can happen because no one has thought of this; no one has thought about what will happen beyond five years."

He said in order to achieve success for its tree plantation experiment, the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had to confront the timber mafia and some forest guards were even killed in the process.

Prime Minister Imran noted that forest cover in Pakistan had fallen well below the world average, while groundwater was being polluted due to the pollution affecting rivers.

Concrete has replaced 70 per cent of the country's forest cover, he said, adding that unplanned cities like Lahore faced air pollution of dangerous levels, especially during winters, affecting the health of children and the elderly.

Noting that Pakistan was on the fifth spot on the list of countries likely to be most impacted by climate change, Prime Minister Imran said it was important for a government which thought about the welfare of its citizens and "doesn't think about the next election" to start planning from today how it will leave the country in a better state for coming generations.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1597047/p...ee-honey-initiative-to-boost-honey-production
 
The Viper said:
PM Imran launches 'Billion Tree Honey Initiative' to boost honey production

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday launched the 'Billion Tree Honey Initiative' to increase the production of honey through the plantation of trees.

Under the programme, the plantation of trees including Kao, Phulai, Ber, Kikar and other bee flora will be encouraged. A mechanism will be also be provided to support bee flora, improve the quality of honey production, provide livelihoods to beekeepers and sustain the activity through the provision of financial resources, Radio Pakistan reported.

Speaking at the launch ceremony in Islamabad, Prime Minister Imran lauded the idea of using forests for honey production, saying it will provide jobs to locals. "When local people see they will make money and earn income, they will protect forests more than anyone," he said.

He noted that Pakistan's honey exports were very low despite there being a variety of honey in the country.

"We have 12 climatic zones which is very unique; 12 different zones mean 12 different habitats so we can make honey of different varieties," the premier said, adding that the government will assist producers with quality control, without which the product cannot be exported.

Prime Minister Imran also highlighted the potential of growing olive and avocado trees in the country, both of which he said had been planted in his home garden. Through olive plantation, Pakistan could be able to export olive oil and avoid the import of edible oil, he said.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said the Billion Tree Honey programme will help enhance the country's potential to produce 70,000 metric tonnes of honey in a year.

Under the initiative, he said, beekeepers will be trained and the value of the country's honey will be increased in the international market through proper branding and quality certification.

It is anticipated that marketing of 70,000 metric tonnes of honey will generate an income of around Rs43 billion in the national economy and provide about 87,000 green jobs, according to Radio Pakistan.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed among various organisations to promote beekeeping and tree plantation in the country.

Declining forest cover
In his speech, Prime Minister Imran emphasised that one of his government's biggest responsibilities was to reduce environmental degradation and take measures to rescue and improve forest cover, rivers and air pollution.

He said the PTI government was the first to think about planting trees in Pakistan's history.

"We decided that one billion trees will be planted and we were made fun of," he said. "Even now our opponents don't admit that this can happen because no one has thought of this; no one has thought about what will happen beyond five years."

He said in order to achieve success for its tree plantation experiment, the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had to confront the timber mafia and some forest guards were even killed in the process.

Prime Minister Imran noted that forest cover in Pakistan had fallen well below the world average, while groundwater was being polluted due to the pollution affecting rivers.

Concrete has replaced 70 per cent of the country's forest cover, he said, adding that unplanned cities like Lahore faced air pollution of dangerous levels, especially during winters, affecting the health of children and the elderly.

Noting that Pakistan was on the fifth spot on the list of countries likely to be most impacted by climate change, Prime Minister Imran said it was important for a government which thought about the welfare of its citizens and "doesn't think about the next election" to start planning from today how it will leave the country in a better state for coming generations.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1597047/p...ee-honey-initiative-to-boost-honey-production
Click to expand...

All three ideas are excellent but will need investment. For example the production of olive oil has been mentioned for years in Pothwar and due to arid conditions, it is ideal but it needs a fully thought through strategy with private business and govt agencies on board and working together. The problem is that our govt agencies have no motivation to work and private business invest in property which give high risk free returns.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Liberty Miyawaki Forest under <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Plant4Pakistan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Plant4Pakistan</a> campaign:<br><br>January 2020 February 2021 <a href="https://t.co/eyopsH5MSU">pic.twitter.com/eyopsH5MSU</a></p>— Azhar Mashwani (@MashwaniAzhar) <a href="https://twitter.com/MashwaniAzhar/status/1360195419775643654?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I have launched urban forestry on the lines of Miyawaki technique in Japan where the trees grow 10 times faster and 30 times denser and is the best way to fight pollution. 50 sites have been chosen in Lahore. First experiment was in Liberty roundabout in 2020. <a href="https://t.co/iOJcYi6sSn">pic.twitter.com/iOJcYi6sSn</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1360464267699445760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
These stories are heartwarming and give me so much optimism for the future. After the doom and gloom from 2001 to 2015 the last 5 years Pak does seem to have turned a corner in a lot of fields.
 
Not being well read on this subject( as to what type trees to plant), is there any reason why we can't plant millions of fruit trees?
 
Bewal Express said:
Not being well read on this subject( as to what type trees to plant), is there any reason why we can't plant millions of fruit trees?
Click to expand...

not a hundred percent sure, but i think fruit trees require significantly more water resources, especially when young.
 
ElRaja said:
not a hundred percent sure, but i think fruit trees require significantly more water resources, especially when young.
Click to expand...

That maybe true, but with drone technology widely available and the price of fruit being high, surely its worth considering.
 
Bewal Express said:
Not being well read on this subject( as to what type trees to plant), is there any reason why we can't plant millions of fruit trees?
Click to expand...

They are also planting fruit trees.

Apart from evergreen trees, the Prime Minister has also supported the idea of planting fruit-bearing trees as advised by the Ministry, said Malik Amin.

https://nation.com.pk/11-Apr-2020/restoration-of-10b-tree-tsunami-project-approved

Urban forestry initiatives under the TBTTP will lead to establishment of green urban forest islands, where indigenous fruit and non-fruit trees will be planted to stem, among others, frequenting and intensifying incidents of heat wave, dust storms, urban flooding, soil degradation due to cloudbursts and air pollution.


https://www.dawn.com/news/1572204
 
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