According to U.N. FAO, 2.2% or about 4.55 Million hectares of Pakistan land (according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics) is under forests.
Forest Cover is changed: Between 1990 & 2010, Pakistan lost an average of 42,000 ha or 1.66% per year. In total, during 1990 and 2010, Pakistan lost almost 33.2% of its forest cover.
Pakistan’s forests contain 213 M. metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass. Pakistan has round about 1027 species of reptiles, mammals, birds and amphibians according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
Of these, 3.5% are endemic, means they do not exist in other country rather than Pakistan, and 5.5% are threatened. At least 4950 species of vascular plants found in Pakistan, of which 7.5% are endemic.
Growth Rate of Forest:
In 2012-13 the growth rate is approximately 6.8%. While after that, it gradually decreases and reached -12.45% during 2014-15. And then it rapidly increases during 2015-16 and the growth rate of forest becomes 14.31%. In 2016-17 it decreases again to 2.37% and in 2017-18 till present the growth rate of forest is approximately 7.17% it increases gradually day by day because of many tree plantation schemes and initiatives.
Share in GDP:
In Agriculture the %age share of forestry is approximately 2.09%, while in GDP of Paksitan forestry have the share of 0.39%. It increases as compared to recent years because of positive growth rate of forestry is 7.17% successor to previous negative growth rate of 2.37% approximately in the last year. The one of the major reason of increasing the rate of growth is high timber production in KPK in recent years.
The Programme of Green Pakistan was started by the govt. in collaboration with Ministry of Climate Change and Provincial Forest and Wildlife Departments including Gilgit Baltistan, Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) with a total cost of Rs 3.652 billion over a period of five years (2016-17 to 2020-21).
Near about in 100 districts of the country this programme of Green Pakistan is executed. The Green Pakistan Programme has three major objectives i.e. renewal of forestry resource of Pakistan, restoration of wildlife resources in Pakistan and Increase of the Zoological Survey of Pakistan.
Land Utilization under Forest:
The Land Utilization under forests is shown from 2012 till in 2018. In 2012-13 the land under forests in Pakistan is 4.26 Million Hectares & 4.55 Million Hectares during 2013-14. While in 2014-15 and 2015-16 it decreases to some extent and remains same in both years equals to 4.54 Million Hectares. While onward to 2016 to 2018 it increases again and become 4.55 Million Hectares again.