The Ministry of Environment and World-wide Fund for Nature on Tuesday launched national programme for conservation of forests and sustainable management of forest ecosystem. Addressing the launching ceremony of 'National Forest Programme', Minister for Environment Hamidullah Jan Afridi said the programme was a step forward towards giving a policy framework to upcoming national forest policy.
"It is also a milestone towards our vision 2030 aiming at dispensation of number of activities enshrined in the proposed Policy," he said and mentioned to mammoth deliberations held off and on for evolving the programme. He also mentioned that the new forest policy would be presented to the Cabinet for approval within next two to three weeks.
Afridi also mentioned to achievements of National Year of Environment (2009), National Tree Plantation Day (August 18 every year) and setting new record of tree plantation in one day (2009) recording Pakistan's name in Guinness Book of World Record.
He said after this programme and new policy, it would be rather easier to meet millennium development goal of enhancing forest cover to six percent from present 5.2 percent. Earlier, in his opening remarks Inspector General Forests Dr Shahzad Jehangir elaborated on aims and objectives of the programme and thanked all the stakeholders for their valuable input.
WWF Deputy Director General Dr Ejaz Ahmed gave a detailed presentation on the programme and apprised the participants of its contours. He said forests management required sustained efforts over a long period of time for producing desirable impact. "As depletion has adverse ecological, social and economic impacts, there is need for sustainable mitigation."
He said new approaches and technologies were being developed for sustainable forest management needing continuous research support to test, readjust and replicate these approaches and technologies. Major goals of the programme include to contribute to the sustainable management of forests and ecosystem of the country by improving planning, management and monitoring systems for forest conservation and restoration through integration of livelihood concerns, ecosystem services approaches and maintenance of bio-diversity.
Four specific objectives of the programme include to strengthen and replicate sustainable planning, management and monitoring in forest landscape; develop and strengthen institutions and organisations in the forestry sector; strengthen policy, legal and advocacy support for ensuring sustainable forest management; and promote and support research, education and awareness for sustainable forest and rangeland management.
The program also constitute four sub-programmes including planning, management and monitoring; restructuring organisational management; legal, policy and advocacy support; and research, education and awareness.
Moreover, the provincial action plans have got specific interventions regarding climate change, its impacts and mitigation measures in areas of NWFP falling in Western Himalayan Eco-region. These include determination of climate trend; implication of climate change on economic flora; and development and implementation of mitigation strategies.
The Forest Programme also consists of projects contributing to objectives and addressing its outputs over a period of 15-20 years with three phases of five year each. During first phase, recommended models and approaches will be tested on pilot basis through development and implementation of projects on identified themes coupled with required capacity building and institutional strengthening mainly focusing on Northern Mountainous Landscape of the country.
In second phase, the lessons learnt and experiences gained in phase-I, will be replicated in the rest of Landscape while a similar pilot testing will be initiated, after necessary adjustments, in the other landscape such as sub- mountainous, riparian, irrigated plains, deserts and the coastal landscape. During phase three, overall strategies to replicate and institutionalise successfully tested approaches and models will be development and implemented at federal, provincial and district levels.