ISLAMABAD, Jun 05 (APP): Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on Saturday announced four major ecosystem restoration initiatives of Pakistan to preserve ecology with community development as a showcase interventions for the world to carry forward UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Addressing the global World Environment Day 2021 celebration hosted by Pakistan, he said, “Pakistan is indeed privileged to be hosting the World Environment Day this year, which not only brings global focus on to nature protection but also triggers the UN decade on ‘Ecosystem Restoration’”.
Amin said the world had no other option but to get off the current warpath with nature and use it as an ally to confront the global challenges of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
“The next decade is critical – as the path we take now is going to shape and define the ecological sustainability of the next century,” the SAPM underscored.
Pakistan, he said was a country already treading the pathway of nature-based solutions – in its efforts to heal the fractured relationship with nature.
He added, “We are endeavoring to make ‘peace’ with nature. Our philosophy is two fold – to focus on nature protection and the generation of green jobs. We have learnt that both can go together and, in fact, do go together.”
While highlighting the employment opportunities generated under Pakistan’s various ecosystem restoration initiatives, he told that the nature initiatives implemented by Pakistan had produced 85,000 green jobs so far and would be increased by another 200,000 this year.
“Today, we are willing to step up our commitment on all green fronts – for our own future sustenance and for the future sustainability of the world,” said Amin Aslam.
Making the announcements of four major ecosystem restoration initiatives, the SAPM said Pakistan has just completed the first billion of the “Ten Billion Trees Tsunami” programme where nine more billion trees are left to be planted.
Announcing the first endeavour, he said, “Today, under the Bonn Challenge, we are announcing our pledge of restoring one million hectares of forest. Secondly, our Protected Areas initiative was expanding terrestrial and marine protected areas.
“Already in the last 12 months we have announced 15 new National Parks and we will be expanding it further with two new Marine National Parks. We are also announcing our first “National Parks Academy” in Ziarat (Balochistan) and will be starting our National Parks Service this year -employing 5,000 youth in green jobs,” he proclaimed.
Underscoring the third intervention, he said our “Recharge Pakistan” project was a transformative initiative which was turning a crisis into an opportunity, by utilizing floodwaters for restoring degraded wetlands and recharging our groundwater aquifers.
“We are now announcing Rs 1 billion to be spent on two pilot sites this year on the project. All of these are practical on ground manifestations of the science of restoring ecosystems,” he explained.
The SAPM while announcing the final initiative, he said Pakistan was also boldly opening up uncharted avenues in green finance.
“Our first $500 million Green Bond was floated last week, we have done our first Blue Carbon Assessment to lay foundations for a Blue Bond and we are in the process of piloting the worlds first Nature Bond – matching debt relief with nature performance,” the SAPM briefed the forum.
Amin concluded, “Finally, Let’s all strive to make this the decade when the world got together to restore its ecosystems and reset its balance with nature.”
He highlighted, “The message from Pakistan most certainly is…’It is Time to Trust in Nature’.”
