PESHAWAR The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has officially launched the province’s first Forest Carbon Credit Mapping Report with the help of modern technology, where 2.2 million hectares of forest land have been identified, which have a total capacity of 400 million tons of carbon absorption.
A special ceremony was held at the Chief Minister’s House in which Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur inaugurated the report. The mapping has been done with the help of modern technology, under which ten potential projects covering 2.2 million hectares in the province have been identified, which have a total capacity to absorb 400 million tons of carbon. These projects are expected to generate an annual revenue of $100 million and a total revenue of $4 billion. These projects can also create 50,000 green jobs.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, while addressing the ceremony, said that forest Carbon Credit Mapping is a historic and revolutionary step of the provincial government in the forestry sector. This report will provide a basis for making Khyber Pakhtunkhwa an effective participant in the global carbon credit market.
He paid tribute to the Forest Department and all partner institutions for this progress and said that this mapping would prove to be a comprehensive model for environmental, economic and social development and would help the province in accessing modern financial sources like green finance.
The Chief Minister also paid tribute to the vision of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on this occasion and said that Imran Khan’s vision and policies for the promotion of forests and environment were appreciated at the global level. The previous PTI government achieved significant achievements in the promotion of forests in the province.
He further said that the forests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa account for 46% of Pakistan’s total forest area and 50% of its carbon absorption capacity. Ali Amin Gandapur appealed to the public that government efforts can only be effective if the public plays its full role in it.
He suggested citizens should plant as many trees as possible in their homes, open lands and unused areas so that we can all move towards a greener and safer future together.
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