ISLAMABAD: World Bank has provided funds amounting to $3.8 million under the REDD+ programme to Pakistan to protect forests and controlling their shrinkage.
“We cannot protect the country from devastating impacts of global warming-induced climate change, as long as our forests continue to remain chopped down. Forests are the best way to achieve enhanced climate resilience against fallouts of the climate change impacts,” said an official of the Ministry of Climate Change.
The lack of access to energy for cooking and heating in households, illegal tree cutting, population growth and associated wood demand surge, changes in land cover for non-forestry uses, land erosion and degradation are among major causes of deforestation in the country.
“Controlling deforestation in the country is not possible without increasing access to renewable and alternative energy sources, particularly for cooking and heating in households, reducing occurrence of land erosion and landslides by strengthening forested mountain slopes with vegetation cover and increasing public awareness about positive effects of forests on overall environment, human health and biodiversity.”
To a question, he said, involvement of local and indigenous forest community, community-based organizations, and educational institutions is key to bringing new life into the country’s unwell forestry sector.
