Sustainable Afforestation in Pakistan – Chapter One

Pakistan is facing various environmental challenges like deforestation, air pollution, soil erosion, and other significant Impacts of climate change across all the areas. To address this, there is an emerging need for intensive sustainable land use activities.

 In this response, Agribyt Pakistan has designed and developed the “Sustainable afforestation project in Pakistan”. Under this project, 12 locations are selected in North Punjab, Central Punjab, KPK, Baluchistan, AJK, and Gilgit Baltistan for afforestation activities, spreading to 113 acres. The land in these locations was either barren or unproductive, so this project aims to convert them into tree-covered areas.

 This project focuses on carbon sequestration via tree plantation, ecosystem restoration, creation of livable places for habitats, new jobs, training local stakeholders with sustainable practices, and generating carbon credits to sell and trade them into carbon markets. This project’s ultimate contribution is to protect Pakistan’s environment and local community development.

Environmental, Social and Economic benefits:

• More than 21 thousand plants for 60 different native species with high carbon sequestration capacity were planted on 113 acres of land.
• Approximately more than 1500 tonnes of carbon sequestration is estimated through this project for the next 25 years.
• Bio compost is introduced for afforestation, which will lead to regulated water flow, prevent soil erosion, maintain microclimates, enhance overall landscape stability and reduce vulnerability to climate-related impacts.
• The use of chemical fertilizers/pesticides has been reduced significantly by using organic bio compost prepared from waste management.
• This Project supports biodiversity conservation efforts. Afforested land will attract species of birds, reptiles, insects, and animals that migrated due to climate disasters and rejoin their indigenous territories. It may attract some more new species to adopt their native habitat.
• More than 65 new jobs have been created due to these afforestation activities under this project.
• Community development is achieved by training 250 local stakeholders and farmers with knowledge transfer regarding sustainable agricultural and afforestation techniques. Kids from local communities/schools were also taught about kitchen gardening and plantation techniques to make them part of overall climate action activities.
• Economic benefit will be achieved by selling carbon credits and vegetable and fruit produce as a result of this project.