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Pakistan misses afforestation targets


ISLAMABAD: In a recent report presented to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Climate Change, it has been revealed that Pakistan fell short of its ambitious afforestation targets over the past five years. The goal was to plant over 3.296 billion trees across the country, but only 2.121 billion trees were actually planted, marking a significant deficit.

Sindh emerged as the leading province in terms of afforestation efforts, surpassing all four provinces by planting a remarkable 816.17 million trees. This was followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 706.26 million trees and Punjab with 344.09 million trees. Balochistan lagged far behind with 18.80 million trees planted, significantly lower than its target.

Provincial Breakdown

Punjab

Punjab had set a target of planting more than 466 million trees from 2019 to 2023 but fell short, managing 344.09 million trees. This marked a 122 million tree deficit, representing a 27% shortfall. The province showed fluctuations in planting numbers over the years: 58 million trees in 2019-20, 97.13 million trees in 2020-21, 124.34 million trees in 2021-22, and a decrease to 50 million trees in 2022-23. As of the second quarter of 2023-24, only 14.62 million trees have been planted.

Sindh

Sindh aimed to plant 1 billion trees from 2019 to 2023 but could only achieve 816.17 million trees, falling short by 184 million trees, representing an 18% shortfall. The province’s numbers also varied annually: 180.23 million trees in 2019-20, 223.04 million trees in 2020-21, 320 million trees in 2021-22, and 71.50 million trees in 2022-23. As of the second quarter of 2023-24, 21.40 million trees have been planted.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s target was also one billion trees from 2019 to 2023 but managed 706 million trees, falling short by 294 million trees, or 29%. The province’s numbers showed a similar pattern: 170 million trees in 2019-20, over 210 million trees in 2020-21, more than 250 million trees in 2021-22, and a decrease to 52.3 million trees in 2022-23. As of the second quarter of 2023-24, more than 10 million trees have been planted.

Balochistan

Balochistan’s target was 100 million trees from 2019 to 2023 but could only manage 18.80 million trees, falling short by a staggering 81%. The province’s numbers varied: 3.35 million trees in 2019-20, 2.72 million trees in 2020-21, 6.45 million trees in 2021-22, and 5.22 million trees in 2022-23. As of the second quarter of 2023-24, 1.06 million trees have been planted.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Azad Jammu and Kashmir aimed to plant 560 million trees from 2019 to 2023 but managed only 165.36 million trees, falling short by 395 million trees, representing a 70% shortfall. The province’s numbers fluctuated: 68.48 million trees in 2019-20, 33.57 million trees in 2020-21, 37.68 million trees in 2021-22, and 22.15 million trees in 2022-23. As of the second quarter of 2023-24, 3.48 million trees have been planted.

Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan had a target of 170 million trees from 2019 to 2023 but managed 70.27 million trees, falling short by 59%. The province’s numbers showed some improvement: 4.7 million trees in 2019-20, 17.69 million trees in 2020-21, 21.73 million trees in 2021-22, and 25.93 million trees in 2022-23. By the second quarter of 2023-24, more than 0.22 million trees have been planted.

Overall, all four provinces failed to achieve their afforestation targets, highlighting the need for enhanced efforts and strategies to protect and expand Pakistan’s green cover.

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