Unskilled manpower in forestry is responsible for low forest which is only two percent compared to minimum international standards of 25 percent, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan.

Unskilled manpower in forestry is responsible for low forest which is only two percent compared to minimum international standards of 25 percent, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan. Inaugurating the Green Pakistan Programme’ at UAF, he at the Directorate of Farms, UAF, he said that the government was making tangible steps to increase wooden places in the country but the unskilled manpower was hampering process of bearing fruits. He lauded the PM initiatives of launching ‘Green Pakistan Programme’ whereby over 100 million trees will be planted in the country. He said that UAF was taking initiatives to provide the assistance to the government in term of manpower and research top run the programme effectively. He said that in 1990, the forest 3.4 of the total land area of the country which has not reduced two percent in 2015. Green Pakistan Programme’ includes 1,000 avenue miles of canal side and roadside plantations in Punjab, KP and Sindh, plantations at Changa Manga, Darphar, Bahawalpur and Chichawatni. He said that management of forest and wildlife resources of the country needed to be adequately developed in line with best international practices. He said that ecosystem is degraded or exploited because of deforestation, increasing pollution, emission of smoke from industries and climate changes. The secret to cope with the situation lies in social mobilization and promotion of plantation. He said that the UAF had emerged as 25th Green University of the globe. He said due to excessive plantation, the climate temperature at UAF remains less than rest of the city. Dean Prof Dr Abdus Salam said the people must be made aware about the potential hazards of deforestation. He said that we will also arrange capacity building workshops to refurbish the professional skills of workforce. He said that forests provide vital wood supplies and help to combat rural poverty, ensure food security, offer watershed protection, provides decent livelihoods and habitats to diverse animal species. Over the past 50 years, about half the world's original forest cover has been lost, the most significant cause being unsustainable use of its resources. Prof Dr Tahir Siddique said that forests also greatly influence climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. He said that the initiative is expected to have a positive impact on the flora and fauna of the country, which are depleting at a fast pace.