Pakistan's environment faces a severe crisis as forests diminish by 18%

Pakistan's environment faces a severe crisis as forests diminish by 18%

In the northern region of Pakistan, the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has been facing a critical environmental crisis due to a significant decline in its forest cover. This deforestation has been linked to an increase in landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, posing a serious threat to the region's infrastructure, agriculture, and human settlements.

The devastating cloudburst in Bajaur in 2025 is a stark reminder of the consequences of this crisis. The event claimed lives, washed away roads and bridges, and left a trail of destruction in its wake.

Dr Adil Zareef, an environmental expert, warns that bare mountains heat 5°C to 8°C more than forested areas, causing monsoon winds to rise rapidly and trigger sudden cloudbursts. This, coupled with poor land-use planning and obstruction of natural water flow, has contributed to the crisis.

Since 1992, the forest area in Pakistan has decreased by 18%, with K-P having the largest share in this decline. The rangeland area has also fallen from 60% to 58%, and rangeland biomass production has dropped from 100% of potential yield to just 20%.

In K-P, over-grazing and mismanagement have caused rangeland productivity to drop to just 20-30%, affecting one-third of households that rely on livestock. In Arandu Gol, a massive timber theft case was reported, with 1.6 million cubic feet of timber illegally cut, the largest case in Pakistan's history.

Deforested mountains in Battagram caused landslides that blocked the Karakoram Highway, cutting off northern Pakistan's road access. In Mansehra, repeated cloudbursts triggered flash floods and landslides. In Chitral, over 3,700 hectares of forest were lost between 1992 and 2009, and experts predict a further 23% decline by 2030.

Forests in Pakistan provide numerous benefits, including fuel, fodder, fruits, medicines, and tourism opportunities while protecting biodiversity. They absorb rainwater to prevent flash floods, recharge groundwater, protect agricultural land from erosion, and sustain soil fertility for farming. They also balance the climate by reducing temperatures, storing carbon, and regulating rainfall.

To urgently address this deforestation crisis and mitigate flood, landslide, and environmental risks, key measures include reforestation and forest conservation, improved land-use planning, strengthening early warning systems, community involvement and regulation, restoration of natural waterways, and national and international support and resources.

Given that 93% of the forests in K-P are community-owned but regulated under forestry laws, urgent collaboration with local stakeholders is crucial for sustainable forest management and carbon credit initiatives. The successes in mangrove restoration in Sindh provide a model for such initiatives.

In conclusion, addressing deforestation requires immediate reforestation combined with holistic land-use management, disaster preparedness, community engagement, and strengthened governance to reduce the cascading risks of floods, landslides, and environmental emergencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

References: [1] Deforestation increases landslide and flash flood risks by destabilizing slopes, a key factor in K-P’s disaster vulnerability. [2] Some experts emphasize that poor planning and obstruction of natural water flow, alongside climate change, also significantly contribute to the crisis. [3] Given that 93% of the forests in K-P are community-owned but regulated under forestry laws, urgent collaboration with local stakeholders is crucial for sustainable forest management and carbon credit initiatives. [4] The successes in mangrove restoration in Sindh provide a model for such initiatives.

1. The critical environmental crisis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) is rooted in a significant decline in its forest cover, which has been linked to increased landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts.
2. Deforestation causes bare mountains to heat more, leading to rapid rise of monsoon winds and resulting in sudden cloudbursts.
3. The depletion of forests in Pakistan is concerning, with K-P bearing the brunt of a 18% decrease in forest area since 1992.
4. Rangeland area and biomass production have followed a similar downward trend in Pakistan, dropping from 60% to 58% and 100% to 20% respectively.
5. Over-grazing and mismanagement have drastically affected livestock-relying households in K-P, reducing rangeland productivity to as low as 20-30%.
6. Timber theft cases, such as the massive one in Arandu Gol with 1.6 million cubic feet of timber illegally cut, have exacerbated the deforestation problem in K-P.
7. Landslides caused by deforested mountains have blocked the Karakoram Highway and disrupted northern Pakistan's road access.
8. Flash floods and landslides have been triggered repeatedly in Mansehra, and over 3,700 hectares of forest have been lost in Chitral between 1992 and 2009.
9. Forests in Pakistan offer numerous benefits, including fuel, fodder, fruits, medicines, tourism opportunities, and protection of biodiversity.
10. Forests absorb rainwater to prevent flash floods, recharge groundwater, protect agricultural land from erosion, and sustain soil fertility for farming.
11. Forests balance the climate by reducing temperatures, storing carbon, and regulating rainfall.
12. To tackle this deforestation crisis and mitigate flood, landslide, and environmental risks, key measures include reforestation, improved land-use planning, strengthened early warning systems, community engagement, and national and international support.
13. Sustainable forest management and carbon credit initiatives require urgent collaboration with local stakeholders, as 93% of the forests in K-P are community-owned.
14. The successes in mangrove restoration in Sindh serve as a model for sustainable forest management initiatives in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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