Beyond saplings: Pakistan’s plantation challenge

Dr Haroon Shoaib DESPITE contributing less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change impacts, including floods, heatwaves, droughts and ecosystem degradation. In this context, trees are no longer simply part of the landscape; they have increasingly become part of climate strategy itself. In Pakistan, where rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, urban heat islands and deteriorating air quality continue to intensify environmental pressures, afforestation is increasingly being viewed as both an ecological necessity and a public policy priority. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, improve air quality, reduce surface temperatures, prevent soil erosion and contribute to restoring ecological balance in rapidly urbanizing environments. Pakistan’s growing emphasis on afforestation is therefore not limited to planting more trees alone. Increasingly, policymakers and environmental planners are recognizing that the real challenge lies in ensuring trees survive long after ceremonial plantation drives conclude. This broader shift in thinking has become increasingly visible in Pakistan’s climate discourse. Under the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination’s Green Pakistan Upscaling Programme, there has been greater focus on long-term monitoring, survival rates, geo-tagging and digital oversight mechanisms aimed at improving accountability and environmental outcomes. Government-led restoration efforts linked to wider afforestation programmes have also explored geospatial monitoring systems to track plantation activity and ecological restoration over time. Increasingly, afforestation is being viewed not simply as an environmental exercise, but as part of broader climate adaptation infrastructure. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Pakistan’s large-scale restoration efforts under the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami initiative have gained international attention for