Islamabad:
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination has called on the use of satellite images to verify official allegations of improved forest coverage in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jashmu and Kashmir (AJK), in the middle of concerns about Timber Smuglinger and Unchecked Demoramdation threats.
Chairman of MNA Munaza Hassan met the committee on Monday to review deforestation trends and the government’s response to hangover activities. While provincial officials presented an optimistic view, legislators questioned the accuracy of their reports and called for stronger surveillance and enforcement measures.
“The committee cannot only rely on rosy figures. Independent verification through Suparco -Satellite images is needed to confirm what is happening on Earth,” observed members during the meeting.
The KP-Environment Secretary informed the committee that the provincial forest coverage was improved based on third-party assessments and noticed the seizure of 2.3 million cubic foot with illegally harvested wood and more than 360 vehicles used for smuggling. However, members expressed concern about the lack of a fire protection system and the continued activities of wooden wooden activities.
GB officials acknowledged that although Forest Land has remained relatively stable in recent years, greater degradation took place in the 1980s due to sectarian conflict and law on law and order. They called for constitutional guarantees to protect forests and sought federal support for digital monitoring.
The committee also expressed concerns about reports of hotel construction at Attabad Lake in violation of the rules. GB officials assured legislators that such hotels were shut down and a ban on new construction.
AJK Forest Department reported a 10 percent increase in forest coverage citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) studies and confirmed that all commercial logging had been banned. However, legislators warned that wood smuggling – especially about Deodar and Fir Wood – was still stripping the region’s mountains.
The climate change secretary told the panel that a National Geographic Information System (GIS) for forests would soon be launched to digitally trace deforestation and illegal logging.
