ISLAMABAD, Dec 27 (APP):The barren land of Gari Chandan Forest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has emerged as a potential eco-tourism site after successful massive plantation under Billion Tree Afforestation Project (BTAP).
One of the largest man-made forests of the country, Gari Chandan Forest sprawls over 2,200 hectares (ha) out of which 800ha land covered main Gari Chanadan region and the remaining was 1,400ha area of Azakhel Matani region where plantation and sowing was done under BTAP, told APP Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Peshawar Forest Division Tariq Khadim.
Khadim said it was an uphill task to ensure water availability in such a barren area that possessed scarce vegetation, however, artificial water ponds were built and filled through water tankers to ensure watering of the saplings planted on the site.
“Gari Chandan was a barren grey land which had transformed into a thriving green area. The global agencies like Bonn Challenge, WWF, IUCN and UN authorities recongised the massive afforestation under the BTAP initiative,” he added.
To a question, he said 40% of the total plantation was eucalyptus that was based on the community’s demand. The other saplings planted were shesham, phulai, chirpine, keekar, zizyphus, sanatha, willow, poplar, amaltas, cypress, and bakain.
The technique adopted to plant saplings on the massive land was based on 10 by 10 model meaning that the plants were sowed 10 feet away from each other in squares.
“The human raised plantation had assisted natural regeneration in the forest. There have been 1,075 trees planted in every one ha of the land, however, the natural regeneration of local species will double the plantation size in Gari Chandan,” he informed.
Responding another query, he said Gari Chandan Forest had all the required charm and natural landscape to become a potential ecotourism site for the local masses and foreigners.
The KP Forest Department and provincial government were mulling over a feasible ecotourism promotion endeavour in this region, he told.
“The funds for developing sustainable environment friendly tourism will be managed through international financial assistance,” he added.
He informed that the birdlife which was negligible in the past had also increased in the region and could be spotted frequently hovering in the wild.
Khadim proudly stated that the Forest was visited by various foreign ambassadors, heads of UN bodies, international nature conservation agencies and dignitaries who had also planted trees by their name and appreciated the successful effort of the KP Forest Department.
He mentioned that the role of Forest Guards and neghabans who were from the local communities was crucial in making BTAP a real success and they deserved due acknowledgment for it.
It merits mention here that the country was working to materialize its carbon stocks through Green Bonds to explore untapped green credit from the global markets.
However, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN-Pakistan) was providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Climate Change to hold data based ground study of its carbon stocks absorbed in the forests revived under BTAP. Moreover, the IUCN was also assisting the Ministry to hold the third party monitoring and evaluation of the flagship Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Plantation Project as per the demand of the government.
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