An allocation of Rs64 million has been made for revival of Juniper and Chalgoza forests in Ziarat, Balochistan under the Green Pakistan programme.
“The programme will be implemented by the Balochistan Forest Department over the next five years,” senior officials of the Ministry of Climate Change informed Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change on Tuesday.
Initially, local community would be taken onboard by creating awareness and mobilising them to become a part of the programme.
Juniper forests in Ziarat are unique because of their high ecological significance, extremely slow growth rate and scenic value. It is estimated that the age of a mature Juniper tree in Ziarat can exceed 1,500 years. Ziarat Juniper Forest has been declared Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
Source: Express Tribune
