Pakistan is blessed with numerous natural resources and eye catching aesthetic landscapes. Our precious lands from the snow-covered peaks to the beaches provide livelihood and shelter to a nation of 180 million We are a growing economy with high dependence on natural resources for energy, agriculture industry, transport and domestic sectors.
This economic development process is affecting our environment by degrading land, water and biological resources as we have not adopted ample safeguards. Besides global environmental problems like global warming, glacier melting, droughts and floods, forest conservation has become one of the most serious challenges for us because it has become one of the most stressed sectors under the increasing demands for timber, fuel wood and other products.
The world community had recognised immense importance of forests as a global environmental agenda four decades ago, but practical measures to protect and develop global forests are not up to the mark. The United Nations recognised this lapse and declared the year 2011 as International Year of Forests to invoke participation of all segments of the society in the noble task of forest protection and development. With reference to IYF 2011, all international programmes and days are attributed to forests and the. World Environment Day on 5 June, 2011 specifically reminds us of our responsibility in this regard.
The Government of Pakistan attaches high priority to envircnrnent protection and has promulgated several laws, worked out policies and implemented programmes to achieve this objective. In all these policies and programmes, forestry remains a central focus. . I find forest development as the cheapest business with the highest returns in terms of livelihood, forest products, water generation, land conservation, wildlife protection and overall moderation of global warming and climate change.
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