Billion Tree Tsunami
Commercial?No
Type of projectAfforestation
LocationKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
MinistryMinistry of Climate Change
Key peopleImran Khan, Malik Amin Aslam,
Established2014
Launched2 September 2018 (2018-09-02)
BudgetRs. 109.38 billion (US$380 million)
Websitemocc.gov.pk

The Billion Tree Tsunami was a tree plantation drive launched in 2014, by the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in response to the challenge of global warming. Pakistan's Billion Tree Tsunami restores 350,000 hectares of forests and degraded land to surpass its Bonn Challenge commitment.[1][2] The project aimed at improving the ecosystems of classified forests, as well as privately owned waste and farm lands, and therefore entails working in close collaboration with concerned communities and stakeholders to ensure their meaningful participation through effectuating project promotion and extension services.[3] The project was completed in August 2017, ahead of schedule.

Inspiration

The Billion Tree Tsunami Project is driven by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s vision of green growth which ties in the needs for sustainable forestry development, generating green jobs, gender empowerment, preserving Pakistan’s natural capital while also addressing the global issue of climate change.[4]

Afforestation regions

The Billion Tree Tsunami covers the whole province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

RegionDivision
Central-Southern Forest Region-I Peshawar
Northern Forest Region-II Abbottabad
  • Haripur
  • Agror Tanawal
  • Tor Ghar
  • Gallies
  • Siran
  • Kaghan
  • Hazara Tribal
  • Lower Kohistan
  • Upper Kohistan
  • Daur Watershed
  • Kohistan Watershed
  • Unhar Watershed
  • Kunhar Watershed
  • Buner Watershed
Northern Forest Region-III Malakand

10 Billion Tree Tsunami

On 3 September 2018, after becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan following the 2018 Pakistani general election, Imran Khan launched a 5-year, country-wide 10 billion tree plantation drive from Makhniyal, KPK to combat the effects of global warming. Its total cost is estimated at 125.1843 billion Pakistani rupees.[5]

Corruption inquiry

In January 2020, the National Accountability Bureau started an inquiry on alleged loss of 462 million rupees[6] (approximately $3 million USD) in connection with an inquiry it had launched in March 2018.[7] Allegations included ghost labour, embezzlement, and misappropriation. The Bureau recommended an enhancement of the inquiry to establish whether further losses have occurred.[8] In 2016 the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) had published a third party audit report for all the project's phases.[9][10]

International appreciation

The billion tree program was appreciated by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), according to their statement “We are at a point in history where we need to act and Pakistan is leading on this important effort.” [11][12] World Economic Forum praised adding 350,000 hectares of trees. Furthermore, congratulated Pakistan for reaching target of billion trees ahead of schedule.[13] Pakistan exceeded its Bonn challenge commitment,[14] Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a province in Pakistan became the first international entity to complete the challenge,[15] on success of Bonn challenge Head of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Inger Anderson dubbed the project as “a true conservation success story”.[13] Based on international appreciation Saudi Arabia contacted government of Pakistan to plants 10 billion trees in their country.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Pakistan's Billion Tree Tsunami restores 350,000 hectares of forests and degraded land to surpass Bonn Challenge commitment". International Union for Conservation of Nature. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "Pakistan (KPK)". Bonn Challenge. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "About Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Project". Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Project – Country's largest plantation drive". Forestry, Environment & Wildlife Department, KP. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "10 Billion Tree Tsunami drive launched". The Nation. 3 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "NAB detects over Rs462m loss in initial inquiry into Billion Tree Tsunami". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  7. ↑ Report, Bureau (6 April 2018). "NAB starts probe into billion tree project". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  8. ↑ Abbas, Tauqeer. "NAB's initial inquiry into PTI's 'tree tsunami' project finds Rs462m corruption | Pakistan Shia News Agency". Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  9. ↑ "WWF Audit report for billion tree TSUNAMI" (PDF). WWF Asia.
  10. ↑ "Third party audit reports for billion tree TSUNAMI archived". WWF.
  11. ↑ "Pakistan's Ten Billion Tree Tsunami". unep.org. 2 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "UN body praises PM's billion tree tsunami vision". The Dawn. 2 March 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Pakistan has planted over a billion trees". weforum.org.
  14. ↑ "Pakistan's 'Billion Tree Tsunami' surpasses Bonn challenge commitment". Gulf News.
  15. ↑ "Pakistan exceeds Bonn Challenge commitment with Billion Tree Tsunami". iucn.org.
  16. ↑ "Pakistan to help Saudi Arabia plant 10 billion trees". The news.
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