ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Ministry of Climate Change has prepared the first ever national forest policy in consultation with all stakeholders and it would be presented in the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for approval soon.
“On directives of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, the ministry has finalized a National Forest Policy to protect and promote forestry and its draft policy is expected to be presented before CCI soon,” a senior official of the ministry told APP.
He said the ministry had engaged all the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Capital Development Authority (CDA) for evolving consensus on the forest policy.
Answering a question, he said the government was attaching priority to afforestation and had taken measures to stop deforestation in the country, adding that it was also the responsibility of provinces to stop deforestation.
Pakistan has been ranked among the 55 countries categorized as low forest cover countries with less than 10 percent of the forest cover.
According to the international law, all countries should reserve 12 per cent of land for forests.
Replying to another question, the official said the government was preparing a comprehensive plan to tackle the threats of climate change to the country.
He said climate change posed a major threat to food, water, energy security, coastal and marine environment, dry land ecosystems, agriculture and livestock sector, forests, biodiversity and health, that needed to be addressed on war-footing.
He said that the government was planning to control Green House Gases.
Source: APP
