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In Pakistan, a once-threatened pine tree is staging a comeback
Mohammed Qasim
05 Jun 2021
The rare Markhor goat pictured in Pakistan. Photo: Unsplash/Nick Sokolov
When researcher Ashiq Ahmed Khan first visited Pakistan’s rugged Sulaiman Mountains, in 1982, he was there to study the markhor, a near-threatened goat and Pakistan’s national animal.
On his return visit, the mountains in Balochistan, four years later, though, Khan’s focus shifted from the markhor to the pine forest it called home, which had been decimated by deforestation. “It had been cut,” said Khan. “It was shocking.”
The revelation would lead Khan, 74, who’s originally from Peshawar, to launch a campaign to conserve Balochistan’s mountain forests and one of their most recognizable trees, the Chilghoza pine. Today, some 260km2 of forest is protected, much with the help of local residents who were once responsible for felling the trees.
That success is a testament to the ability of communities to band together and revive natural spaces lost to development, said Dechen Tsering from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
“Around the world, forests and other natural spaces are being plundered for their resources. But what’s happening in Balochistan shows that there is a better, more sustainable way to benefit from nature,” she said.
Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) projects like this, harnessing nature-based solutions to ensure people adapt and thrive in a changing climate, are fundamental to UNEP’s work. Globally UNEP works on over 45 EbA projects, restoring around 113,000 hectares and benefiting 2.5m people. By protecting ecosystems UNEP also ensures that the animals, such as the markhor, have a place to call home
In other parts of south Asia UNEP work with partner agencies, such as the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to increase their reach. Mountain areas are some of the hardest hit by climate change and projects such as Adaptation at Altitude look at how to increase community resilience and adaption to the threat.
Every year, the world loses 10 million hectares of forests – an area the size of the Republic of Korea. Replanting those forests is a key part of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global push to revive the natural world that launches on 5 June, World Environment Day.
Pakistan ramps up Protected Areas
Pakistan, which will host the annual celebration of the Earth, has launched an ambitious effort to revive its forests. In 2019 the government introduced one of the largest restoration projects in the world, the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami. Its aim is to plant 10 billion trees by 2023.
This is particularly important in Pakistan as, due to a large population, poverty and illegal logging for charcoal and fuel, only 5 per cent of the country has forest cover, against a global average of 31 per cent. That lack of trees causes a host of problems, including flooding, drought, soil erosion and glacial melt.
Creating economic opportunities
In the Sulaiman Mountains of Balochistan, home to the markhor, the Chilghoza was emblematic of Pakistan’s struggles with deforestation. While it produces a highly nutritious and valuable pine nut, it was being felled by locals and used as firewood and for building materials. It was also a victim of local politics; feuding tribes would often cut down their enemies’ trees to deprive them of income.
When Khan joined the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1992, it became his mission to protect and restore the forests. He did this in part by helping local farmers build irrigation canals, allowing them to grow cash crops, such as wheat, maize and garlic, which provided an income.
“We had to create opportunities so they wouldn’t need to cut down the Chilghoza,” said Khan. “It took time and we had to work with the communities to win their trust.”
Now the trees have been allowed to grow and mature nut yields have increased. The price of Chilghoza nuts is at an all-time high and communities are selling the nuts as far away as China and the Middle East.
The WWF also helped set up and supported Kasa Ghar, a community-based organisation, that worked to sustainably manage the forests, it was so successful that it was awarded the Equator Prize in 2019. The Equator Prize is a highly-valued United Nations-backed award that rewards outstanding community efforts.
“It is rewarding to see how far the restoration of the Chilghoza has gone,” said Khan, “I am retired now and I can look back with pride on the work I did to restore these forests.”
The United Nations General Assembly has declared the years 2021 through 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Decade is designed to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. This global call to action will be launched on 5 June, World Environment Day. It will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to scale up restoration with the goal of reviving millions of hectares of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Mohammed Qasim
05 Jun 2021
The rare Markhor goat pictured in Pakistan. Photo: Unsplash/Nick Sokolov
When researcher Ashiq Ahmed Khan first visited Pakistan’s rugged Sulaiman Mountains, in 1982, he was there to study the markhor, a near-threatened goat and Pakistan’s national animal.
On his return visit, the mountains in Balochistan, four years later, though, Khan’s focus shifted from the markhor to the pine forest it called home, which had been decimated by deforestation. “It had been cut,” said Khan. “It was shocking.”
The revelation would lead Khan, 74, who’s originally from Peshawar, to launch a campaign to conserve Balochistan’s mountain forests and one of their most recognizable trees, the Chilghoza pine. Today, some 260km2 of forest is protected, much with the help of local residents who were once responsible for felling the trees.
That success is a testament to the ability of communities to band together and revive natural spaces lost to development, said Dechen Tsering from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
“Around the world, forests and other natural spaces are being plundered for their resources. But what’s happening in Balochistan shows that there is a better, more sustainable way to benefit from nature,” she said.
Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) projects like this, harnessing nature-based solutions to ensure people adapt and thrive in a changing climate, are fundamental to UNEP’s work. Globally UNEP works on over 45 EbA projects, restoring around 113,000 hectares and benefiting 2.5m people. By protecting ecosystems UNEP also ensures that the animals, such as the markhor, have a place to call home
In other parts of south Asia UNEP work with partner agencies, such as the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to increase their reach. Mountain areas are some of the hardest hit by climate change and projects such as Adaptation at Altitude look at how to increase community resilience and adaption to the threat.
Every year, the world loses 10 million hectares of forests – an area the size of the Republic of Korea. Replanting those forests is a key part of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global push to revive the natural world that launches on 5 June, World Environment Day.
Pakistan ramps up Protected Areas
Pakistan, which will host the annual celebration of the Earth, has launched an ambitious effort to revive its forests. In 2019 the government introduced one of the largest restoration projects in the world, the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami. Its aim is to plant 10 billion trees by 2023.
This is particularly important in Pakistan as, due to a large population, poverty and illegal logging for charcoal and fuel, only 5 per cent of the country has forest cover, against a global average of 31 per cent. That lack of trees causes a host of problems, including flooding, drought, soil erosion and glacial melt.
Creating economic opportunities
In the Sulaiman Mountains of Balochistan, home to the markhor, the Chilghoza was emblematic of Pakistan’s struggles with deforestation. While it produces a highly nutritious and valuable pine nut, it was being felled by locals and used as firewood and for building materials. It was also a victim of local politics; feuding tribes would often cut down their enemies’ trees to deprive them of income.
When Khan joined the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1992, it became his mission to protect and restore the forests. He did this in part by helping local farmers build irrigation canals, allowing them to grow cash crops, such as wheat, maize and garlic, which provided an income.
“We had to create opportunities so they wouldn’t need to cut down the Chilghoza,” said Khan. “It took time and we had to work with the communities to win their trust.”
Now the trees have been allowed to grow and mature nut yields have increased. The price of Chilghoza nuts is at an all-time high and communities are selling the nuts as far away as China and the Middle East.
The WWF also helped set up and supported Kasa Ghar, a community-based organisation, that worked to sustainably manage the forests, it was so successful that it was awarded the Equator Prize in 2019. The Equator Prize is a highly-valued United Nations-backed award that rewards outstanding community efforts.
“It is rewarding to see how far the restoration of the Chilghoza has gone,” said Khan, “I am retired now and I can look back with pride on the work I did to restore these forests.”
The United Nations General Assembly has declared the years 2021 through 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Decade is designed to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. This global call to action will be launched on 5 June, World Environment Day. It will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to scale up restoration with the goal of reviving millions of hectares of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
