President calls for enhancing national forest cover

Karachi: President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday called for enhancing the national forest cover by planting more trees to help mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change and global warming.

The President expressed these views while planting a "Neem" sapling at Bilawal House in Karachi, as a part of the annual Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign.

August 18 also marks the National Tree Plantation day in Pakistan.

The President said Pakistan was one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and global warming, and urged the youth and civil society in helping increase forest cover and planting more trees to mitigate their adverse impacts.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that "Neem" was an environment friendly tree, offering numerous environmental benefits, such as clean air, cool shade, and acting as a natural mosquito repellent.

He recalled that during Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed's first tenure as Prime Minister, he had served as the Minister for Climate and had initiated a tree plantation campaign, wherein Neem trees were planted throughout the country. He said that the need to plant trees had become of paramount importance in view of the rising temperatures in Pakistan.

Asif Ali Zardari urged the nation, particularly the youth and civil society, to actively participate in the Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign and plant as many trees as possible in their neighborhoods and surroundings for a better environment.

The President said Pakistan had undertaken successful mangrove restoration, under which mangroves on millions of acres of land had been planted in Sindh.