'Forest sector still has multiple benefit potentials'

Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq on Friday said the Forest sector in Pakistan still has a multiple benefit potentials including generating huge revenues for public and private sectors, reduce environmental damage and threats to rural livelihoods if managed well.
He was speaking at grandeur gala organized by Pakistan Furniture Council in collaboration with Punjab Forest Department to celebrate International Day of Forests. With a view to achieve maximum preservation and management of the forest, there has to be efficient monitoring of logging operations to reduce widespread corruption and violation of forestry regulations, he said. "Dialoguing on these laws, polices and or agreements to improve governance and equitable management of Pakistan's forest is important", he added.
Mian Kashif shedding light on the importance of trees and plants in urban cities said it is estimated that by 2050 six billion people will live in cities and that unprecedented urbanization should not mean concrete urban sprawls. Creating green spaces and planting trees in urban centres can significantly improve our quality of life and well-being, he added.
"Deforestation, however, creates an imbalance in the natural climate by increasing carbon dioxide, which leads to global warming. Unfortunately, Pakistan has the least amount of forest cover in Asia," he maintained.