Life Is Good, When Green

“LIFE IS GOOD, WHEN GREEN”

Pakistan extends along either side of the historic Indus River, following its course from the mountain valleys of the Himalayas down to the Arabian Sea. Bordering on India, China, Afghanistan and Iran, it is strategically located on both sides of the ancient trade routed between Asia and Europe. Pakistan's 796,095 square kilometers of territory include a wide variety of landscapes, from dry deserts to lush, green valley’s to harsh mountain peaks. Most recently, data of land use including forest area have been reported by Forestry Sector Master Plan (FSMP) Project in 1993, with the help of Lands Satellite Thematic Mapper Images at a scale of 1:250,000 covering the whole of Pakistan.
The total area of forests in Pakistan is 4.224 million ha which is 4.8% of the total land area. However, the farmland trees and linear planting along roadsides, canal sides and railway sides covering an estimated area of 466,000 ha and 16,000 ha respectively do not constitute forests within the context of legal, ecological or silvicultural/management definition of forests. The situation is also similar, but to a lesser extent, in the case of miscellaneous plantations over an area of 155,000 ha. If the area of these three categories of plantations is excluded from total forest area of 4.224 million ha, then the latter is reduced to 3.587 million ha which is approximately 4.1 % of the total area. Of the four forests cover percentage groups (> 70%, 40-69%, 10-39%, 0-9%), Pakistan lies in the last category: 0-9%. Between 1981 and 1990, there had been a 4.3% decrease in forest areas of the Tropical Asia and Oceania, which Pakistan is a part of. During the same period, 0.6% deforestation had been occurring each year. This is an alarming situation and needs to be slowed down and then reversed, as nothing is possible.
One must realize the alarming situation and the challenges Pakistan is facing about environment. Increasing population, environmental degradation...