The government has approved Rs3.65 billion for the Prime Minister’s Green Pakistan Programme (GPP) that will be used for tree plantation in the provinces.

The media spokesperson of the programme Mohammad Saleem said that almost 100 million trees will be planted across the country at the cost of Rs10 billion. This amount will further be paid to governments of provinces including AJK, GB, and FATA under GPP. He also added we should know the importance of plants toward the sustainability of the country’s socio-economic sectors.

Saleem said that the ministry of forest officials received from federal government and advised the provincial forest department officials to engage public, all investors, educational institutions, corporate sector, NGOs, and media to alert about the importance of forests in the sustainability of the earth’s overall ecosystem, biodiversity.

He said that the government had asked the forest officials that no forest growth plan would succeed without their involvement and tree plantation targets surpass them.  “Forests can effectively combat the global warming drawn climate change impacts critical socio-economic sectors, predominantly agriculture and water” he added.

“The important service of forests or trees underestimated by us all is the extraordinary environmental importance forests promise to us”.

He added that trees help us to protect soil and regulate water on farms, mitigate floods, regulate weather and enrich biodiversity. The crops are most resilient to drought, excess rain, and unpredictable weather patterns.

He answered the question saying that the 103 million trees or more will be planted under monsoon plantation campaign envision the plan of government revive the sick forestry sector of the Pakistan

Saleem said that the plan aimed to recover the tree cover that has been lost over the last few decades due to unchecked deforestation and this campaign will bring thousands of hectares of land under cultivation of trees within 5 years.