Germany allocates 20 million euros to Pakistan for forest protection project

Islamabad: Germany will provide 20 million euros to Pakistan for the second phase of a project aimed at the protection and sustainable management of forests in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a media report on Sunday.

An agreement for financial support for the ‘Billion Tree Afforestation Support Project’ (BTASP) was signed in Islamabad on Saturday between Pakistan Economic Affairs Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz and Director of German Development Bank KfW, Esther Gravenkotter.

The first phase of BTASP is already under implementation in partnership with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Climate Change, Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department, the Dawn newspaper reported.

It will support the protection and sustainable management of forests in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The project will focus on new plantations on 10,000 hectares, capacity building of forest departments, and developing a management information system.

The project will support nature-based livelihood generation geared to alleviate poverty. Moreover, it will promote women’s economic empowerment and participation in decision-making processes, according to the report.

Pakistan is among the nations considered most vulnerable to climatic changes despite being among the countries contributing least to environmental pollution.

The country faced massive rains and floods in 2022, which, officials said, were caused by climatic changes.

It is believed that by planting trees, countries can mitigate the impact of the changes induced by man-made factors.