Pakistan’s Chilgoza pine forest restoration project has gained major international recognition after winning the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration World Restoration Flagship Award in Italy.
The award was announced during the 80th anniversary of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Forum held in Rome.
The project, titled “Reversing Deforestation and Degradation in High Conservation Value Chilgoza Pine Forests,” has been carried out under the Restoration Initiative from 2018 to 2025.
It is a joint effort by the Ministry of Climate Change, provincial forest departments and FAO. The program focuses on reviving Pakistan’s unique Chilgoza pine forests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The FAO reported that about 20 percent of the damaged Chilgoza forests have already been restored. This progress has been made by involving local communities in income-generating projects, such as setting up pine nut processing units. These activities not only protect the forests but also provide livelihoods for residents.
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The project has also contributed to the national economy, as pine nuts bring in more than $25 million every year. Building on this success, the FAO’s model is now being expanded with local funds, including $3 million from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forestry Department.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Dr. Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah, adviser to the Prime Minister, said that so far, 3,800 hectares of degraded forest land have been restored under the initiative.
