Federal govt seeks provincial data on deforestation amid worsening climate crisis

PESHAWAR: The federal government has asked all provinces to urgently submit updated data on tree cutting, citing alarming deforestation trends that are worsening Pakistan’s climate crisis.

The directive was issued through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), which has instructed Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to provide five years of consolidated provincial-level data for review.

According to officials, the data will help the country’s top decision-making forums assess the scale of deforestation, evaluate damage caused to forests and wildlife habitats, and chalk out future action plans. The Ministry of Climate Change, following SIFC’s directions, has formally written to provincial governments, asking them to share the details “without delay” so the matter can be placed before the federal forum in time.

Officials emphasized that uncontrolled tree cutting in recent years has not only reduced forest cover but also destabilized the climate balance, leading to extreme weather patterns, flash floods, soil erosion, and other devastating natural disasters.

The SIFC clarified that the data request is part of a broader climate protection and environmental resilience strategy being pursued under the council’s mandate. The information sought includes the extent of forest area reduction, cases of illegal logging, encroachments, and the loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitats over the past five years.

Sources in the Ministry of Climate Change said the move reflects growing concern at the federal level over the pace of deforestation and its link to rising vulnerability of local communities to floods, droughts, and heatwaves. Once compiled, the data will be used to formulate new policies on afforestation, stricter monitoring of illegal logging, and long-term strategies for sustainable forest management.