ISLAMABAD: World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Pakistan celebrated World Forest Day 2018 in collaboration with Environmental Science Department of the University of Peshawar. The event was organised to raise awareness and sensitise students and communities regarding the significance of afforestation and the importance of conservation of natural resources. To honour the World Forest Day, indigenous species of trees including chir, fig, bakain and alstonia were planted around the university campus. During the event, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Regional Manager Syed Kamran Hussain who is also the focal person of forests for WWF-Pakistan, highlighted the alarming rate of deforestation in the country and its associated consequences. He also explained the importance of creating awareness in masses about the significance of sustaining forests and encouraged participants to engage in tree plantation activities at household level. Pakistan is one of the top most countries affected by climate change, placed seven according to German Watch’s Global Climate Risk Index and the consequences are apparent in the form of extreme weathering events such as floods, heat waves and cyclones over the past two decades. Forests are natural carbon sinks and play a significant role in reducing carbon footprint and curbing global warming. Besides mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change, forests also provide habitat to animals, livelihood to humans, prevent soil erosion and offer watershed protection. Deforestation, however, creates an imbalance in the natural climate by increasing carbon dioxide, which leads to global warming. Unfortunately, Pakistan has the least amount of forest cover in Asia. According to the Asian Development Bank, only 1.9 percent of the country’s total area is covered by forests, while an average of 25 percent is recommended. Alarmingly, this is the lowest level in Asia. According to Syed Kamran Hussain, “The situation for Pakistan is already critical. We are seeing impacts of climate change from the north to south. Communities are migrating due to extreme weather events and their livelihoods are threatened, leading to various socio-economic problems. But despite this, our forest cover is declining but in order to mitigate climate change we need to reverse these trends.” Globally, WWF advocates for a transformed forest sector to ensure that vulnerable forests are protected from illegal logging, encroachment or conversion and that there will be no plantations that displace communities or take away their livelihoods. Published in Daily Times, March 22nd 2018.