Plant4Pakistan - Optimum care required for maximum survival of planted saplings
Tree plantation campaigns is not a one-day job.
Islamabad (APP):Nation-wide tree plantation campaigns is not a one-day job as constant observation and optimum care are imperative for ensuring maximum survival rate of planted saplings across the country.
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PM urges public to join Plant4Pakistan environment drivePM urges public to join Plant4Pakistan environment drive. Photo: File
This was pointed out by environmental experts on Tuesday while lauding the active participation of government departments and volunteers from public in Billion-Tree-Tsunami-Initiative.
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“It is not a one day job … you plant a tree and the job is over, rather the full resolve is required to nurture a sapling to make it a fully grown tree” said Ibrar Shanwari, a Botanist and Chairman Department of Environmental Sciences, International Islamic University Islamabad.
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Tree plantation campaigns is not a one-day job as constant observation and optimum care are imperative for ensuring maximum survival rate of planted saplings. Photos: Social Media
There was a need to set up a monitoring cell to ensure a long term surveillance of the planted saplings as “without proper care almost 60 per cent of the saplings perish at the initial stage,” he added.
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Ibrar Shanwari informed that he had recently requested Adviser to the Prime Minister on Environment Amin Aslam for setting up a task force that should be mandated to deal with post-plantation issues to make it a complete success.
He also stressed to launch awareness campaigns as most of the volunteer-planters were oblivious of the planting care.
The survival rate of the planted saplings in 2013 was 36.19, 37.05 in 2014, 52.85 in 2015, 149.05 in 2016 and 154.41 in 2017. Photo: Social Media
‘Right time, right species and right place should be the main priorities if we want to achieve maximum growth rate,” he added.
“We should promote the indigenous species that are not only viable for the country’s variable weather but also need nominal amount of water to grow by getting maximum water from the sub-soil”, he said.
He informed that the feasible plants in Pakistan weather includes Olive, Pinus, Diar,Junipur, Acacia,Sissoo, Bobax and others. The species of Euclyptus, Lagestonia,
Canocarpus, Magnolia, Alianthus, Brousonetia, Parthenium and Lantan Camara may be avoided, he added.
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“The department concerned should force the nurseries to promote native plants that will not help only in balancing the environment but also conserving the biodiversity”, he added.
The use of Aluminum and artificial wood made furniture should also be encouraged and promoted as more than 50 percent deforestation was being caused due to this business, he noticed.
Another environmentalist , scientist and author of 26 books Dr Zahid Baig Mirza said the country was under severe threat of climate change’s consequences and enhanced afforestation was vital to protect the ecosystem.
The impact in the coming days was feared to aggravate with the growing population using unfriendly materials which has created climate concerns and even the air was not pure for humans.Therefore, afforestation is vital as trees are vital for a clean environment on this planet, he added.
Zahid also emphasized to take notice of the water pollution as 70 per cent of carbon dioxide was consumed by the aquatic plants.
He stressed for making tree plantation as a part of educational curriculum to sensitize the next generation about importance of afforestation.
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Deputy Media Coordinator Ministry of Climate Change Saleem Shaik said “We have been achieving ideal survival rate of the trees which was over 60 percent since 2007 but prevailing climate change may bring it down as the country is going to receive less rains with unusual pattern in future.”
He said it was a prime time to plant more and more saplings in the rainy season and it has more growth rate as compared to the spring season.
Sharing the last five years data, Saleem informed, the department had managed to achieve 85.9 per cent survival rate across the country in the last five years and may have some decline if country does not receive expected rains due to global warming.
While sharing some statistics he said, the survival rate of the planted saplings in 2013 was 36.19, 37.05 in 2014, 52.85 in 2015, 149.05 in 2016 and 154.41 in 2017.
