KP Govt Plans To Extend BTAP To Tribal Areas To Plant 2b Trees Under 'Plant For Pakistan'

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KP Govt plans to extend BTAP to tribal areas to plant 2b trees under 'Plant for Pakistan'

The KP Government has planned to extend Billions Trees Afforestation Project (BTAP) to the recently merged tribal districts of erstwhile FATA to plant two billion saplings under 'Plant for Pakistan' initiative of Prime Minister Imran Khan in next five years.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Oct, 2018 ) :The KP Government has planned to extend Billions Trees Afforestation Project (BTAP) to the recently merged tribal districts of erstwhile FATA to plant two billion saplings under 'Plant for Pakistan' initiative of Prime Minister Imran Khan in next five years.

Official sources in KP Forest Department told APP on Friday that planning and strategies were chalked out to plant 2 billion trees under 'Plant for Pakistan' in two phases during 2018-2023 in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.

BTAP, being a flagship project of previous PTI Govt, would be extended to tribal districts where vast land was available for large-scale afforestation.

Massive plantations would be carried with help of tribal elders, chieftains, NGOs, local communities and national building departments in Mohmand, Khyber, Bajaur, North Waziristan, Kurram, Orkzai and South Waziristan tribal districts.

The official said at least Rs 44 billion would be required for plantation of two billion saplings, adding that one billion would be provided by Federal Government.

In the first phase, one billion saplings of different species would be sown in KP for which at least Rs 22 billion would be required. Massive plantation campaign will be started in February next year across the province.

The official said KP Forest Department was ready to provide technical assistance and to share its expertise with other provinces about BTAP Model.

BTAP had restored 600,000 hectares of forests besides increasing KP's forests covered area by 6.3 percent during last four years in the province. The project helped fighting climate change by sequestering forest carbon of over 0.04Giga ton of CO2.

The official said 1.

18 billion plants were sown under BTAP during last three years in KP, adding, around 400 million plants were planted by Forest Department with cooperation of stakeholders and public while more than 600 million plants were raised through forests enclosures.

More than 160 million plants were distributed among farmers and general public free of cost which were planted on agriculture lands, canals sides and other open places under farm forestry scheme.

The project has not only controlled high temperature in southern districts but also provided jobs to over 500,000 people directly and indirectly," he mentioned and added that people in BTAP's areas will also get carbon credits from donor agencies for their cooperation.

The BTAP project has been extended for next two years and would be completed by June 2020, he said.

The plantations has been monitored through a Third Party validation, he said and added that WWF endorsed 125 per cent achievements while BONN Challenge, IUCN and World Economic Forum had given appreciation certificates besides membership from Asian Protected Areas Partnership.

Conference of Parties (COP) 21 Organization that works under UN had declared KP best place for forestry, which was great honour for Pakistan.

Work on BTAP was formally started after inauguration of Green Growth Initiative (GGI) on February 9,2014 by Imran Khan on the recommendations of task force chaired by then Chief Minister KP Pervez Khatak.

The government's strategy to hire services of local youth for Negahban force (Caretaker) to protect enclosures and young plantations remained highly successful as it gave monetary incentives and sense of ownership to local communities.