ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will make a “green Pakistan” as he launched a tree plantation drive in Islamabad.
Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI inaugurated Spring Tree Plantation Campaign 2021 and the first ever #Miyawaki Forest in Islamabad earlier today. pic.twitter.com/0k25hd4XhN
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) February 17, 2021
Speaking at the Spring Tree Plantation Campaign 2021, the prime minister, after planting a sapling, repeated his vow to revive and restore the forests in the country through the plantation of 10 billion trees across the country before the completion of his term.
He regretted that in the past decades, megacities like Lahore and Peshawar that were once known as “garden cities” had turned into “concrete, cement jungles” because of “merciless” deforestation as, in Punjab, rural migrants to cities sought to adopt city-based lifestyles.
Imran is aiming to fight climate change and pollution by planting trees. He hopes to scale up the success of the “Billion Tree Tsunami” — which restored 350,000 hectares of forests and degraded land — in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Throwing light on the impact of deforestation in the country, saying that not only does cutting down trees lead to an increase in pollution but that it had harmful effects especially for children and the elderly.
The prime minister said that his government had selected sites in Lahore and Islamabad where trees would be planted on the Miyawaki model.
“This is the first site in Islamabad where trees have been planted [using the Miyawaki technique]. A jungle that normally takes 30 years to grow can grow in 10 years and also provides more oxygen,” he explained.
Miyawaki is a method invented by 93-year-old Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. He is active worldwide as a professional in the restoration of the natural vegetation on degraded land.
His work developed into the Miyawaki method, an approach that prioritises the natural development of forests using native species. Miyawaki forests can grow into mature ecosystems in just 20 years — astonishingly fast when compared to the 200 years it can take a forest to regenerate on its own.
Once stabilised, the forest is left to flourish, forevermore, on its own without further interference. The technique helps build dense and native forests.
“Pakistan is among the countries most affected by climate change […] we need to protect it through the plantation of trees across the country,” he said. The Global Climate Risk Index ranked Pakistan as the 5th most-affected country between 1999 and 2018 in its annual report for 2020.
“Growing trees is not just a hobby for us, it is our need,” he said and urged students, who attended the event, to take the campaign seriously by not only planting trees but also protecting them.
The government can create an atmosphere [for a project]. It can provide funding as well, but it is the nation that can shape its future.”
