Kalasha People planted trees to sustain their livelihoods and ecological betterment in Chitral

Chitral: Forests plants were distributed among local people in Kalash Valley Bumburate under Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) “Project Reversing Deforestation and Degradation in High Conservation Value Chilgoza Pine Forests in Pakistan” “This project is the Ministry of Climate Change and FAO, and supported by the GEF. The Ministry of Climate Change provides the strategic and policy support for the smooth implementation of the project.

Mr. Ajaz Ahmad the Provincial Coordinator FAO KP said that the objectives of this campaign improve Local livelihoods through increasing productivity and enhanced services and functions of the Chilgoza ecosystem in the selected valleys. He also said that the distributed plants include indigenous multipurpose fast trees which will be used as agroforestry, farm forestry, and plantations on degraded sites by the local people/ farmers by themselves. The Chilghoza Forest Protection & Conservation committees formed in the valley are playing their vital role in facilitating the local people in planting trees, he further added.

An event was held at Kalash Valley Bumburate with the participation of local communities, members of the Chilghoza Forest Protection and Conservation Committees, and other stakeholders, where free plants were handed over to local communities. The only solution is to reduce the pressure on the local forest, as these plants provide us with fuel for wood and fodder, added Mr. Abdul Majied Qureshi, President, and CFPCC Bumburate. He added that the Chilghoza Pine nuts being a major source of livelihood for local communities and that these forests need to be protected by providing alternative sources of fuel and fodder.

Mr. Umair Nawaz SDFO Chitral requests the local people to plants the seedlings properly and he also argues to the locals that by plating fast-growing tree species on farmlands and other sites in the valley, the pressure on the local forest can be reduced.

Under this campaign, 15000 seedlings of forest plants were distributed with the support of the Forest Department Chitral