On a humid monsoon morning in Peshawar, nursery workers gently lift young saplings into waiting trucks while volunteers prepare for one of the province’s largest plantation campaigns planned for August 14 across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Beneath every sapling lies promise: KP’s green drive for Pakistan’s Independence Day offers hope against climate change
By Fakhar-e-Alam
PESHAWAR, Jul 16 (APP): On a humid monsoon morning in Peshawar, nursery workers gently lift young saplings into waiting trucks while volunteers prepare for one of the province’s largest plantation campaigns planned for August 14 across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The nursary workers and labouers arrive early morning at Tarnab, the hub of plants nurseries in Peshawar where they loads trucks and pick ups for plantation sites established at different districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa including erstwhile Fata.
Each sapling both ornamental and canopy represents far more than a ceremonial act but a quiet promise to future generations that the fight against climate change, desertification, drought and global warming is not over.
For many Pakistanis, the changing climate is no longer a distant scientific debate. It is visible in scorching summers, unpredictable monsoon rains, shrinking glaciers, devastating floods, prolonged droughts and disappearing forests that negatively impacting people lives.
The forests landscape that previous generations inherited is steadily changing, leaving today’s citizens with an urgent responsibility to restore what has been lost due to socioeconomic imbalances and rampage deforestation.
As Pakistan prepares to celebrate its 79th Independence Day on August 14, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department plans to plant 1.4 million saplings across the province, bringing together government departments, educational institutions, village development committees, farmers, NGOs, private organisations and thousands of volunteers.
Deputy Director of the Trees Afforestation Programme, Muhammad Ibrahim Khan told APP on Thursday that the ambitious campaign builds on the success of Pakistan Day, when more than one million saplings were planted at over 250 locations across the province.
“We want every segment of society to participate in Pakistan’s Independence Day plantation and contribute to win fight against climate change,” he said, adding that citizens and farmers will also be encouraged to upload videos of their plantation efforts through the forest department’s digital dashboard.
The environmentalists and forestry experts in KP believed that the real success of such campaigns lies not in the number of saplings planted but in how many survive.
Former Chairman of the Environmental Science Department at the University of Peshawar, Professor Dr. Salimur Rehman, stressed that plantation requires long-term commitment and people’s support.
“Many plantation drives fail because unsuitable species are planted or the saplings are not properly cared for after planting,” he said.
He claimed that various plantations sites were affected by 2022 flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to poor selection of sites.
“Planting is only the beginning. Protection, watering and selecting indigenous species for suitable zones determine whether a campaign truly succeeds.”
His message resonates with nursery workers and forest officials who spend months nurturing delicate plants before they ever reach the soil.
Pakistan’s natural wealth provides strong reasons for optimism. The country is home to more than 200 indigenous tree species and nine distinct forest ecosystems, ranging from the towering deodar forests of the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindukush to the mangrove forests along the Arabian Sea and the ancient juniper forests of Ziarat.
These forests perform countless invisible services every day by producing oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, reducing pollution, conserving biodiversity and helping regulate rainfall.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone possesses nearly 26.6 percent forest cover, with lush destinations such as Galiyat, Kaghan, Naran, Kalam and Malam Jabba benefiting from extensive forest ecosystems that influence local weather patterns.
Environmental experts said restoring indigenous species including Shisham, Siris, Peepal, Neem, Kikar, Deodar, Kail and Walnut will improve air quality while strengthening resilience against rising temperatures.
Former conservator of forests Touheedul Haq believed that trees remain one of humanity’s strongest allies in confronting climate change, desertification and air pollution.
“Trees are symbols of life,” he said. “They preserve the beauty of the Earth, regulate climate, conserve water resources, protect biodiversity and improve human health.”
However, he cautioned against oversimplifying the climate crisis by blaming deforestation alone.
“The climate crisis is much larger phenomena,” he explained. “Industrial emissions, excessive energy consumption, hazardous waste, uncontrolled urban expansion and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources have all disturbed the Earth’s ecological balance.”
Tauheedul Haq argued that while illegal logging and forest fire could be prevented, forests also require scientific management rather than being left entirely untouched.
“Just as a gardener removes diseased branches to help a tree flourish, forests also need careful planning, monitoring and scientific management,” he said.
His remarks come as rapid urbanisation continues to reshape many parts of the province. The once-green Peshawar Valley has steadily lost tree cover to expanding housing schemes, roads and commercial development, leaving residents increasingly vulnerable to rising temperatures and air pollution.
Still, amid these mounting challenges, hope continues to grow as thousands of nurseries setup across the province for Independence Day plantation in KP.
For nursery workers, forest guards and volunteers preparing for the Independence Day campaign, every sapling represents more than a tree. It symbolises cleaner air for children, cooler summers for future generations and a chance to restore a fragile balance between people and nature.
Their work reflects a growing understanding that planting trees alone cannot solve climate change. Lasting progress will require scientific forest management, responsible industrial policies, sustainable urban planning and global cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But every journey begins with a single step as in this case, with a single sapling carefully placed into the soil being an act of hope rooted in the belief that the future can still be greener than the present and the growing effects of climate change and warming environment can be minimised by joing hands against climate change.
