Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan has urged masses to actively participate in ongoing countrywide spring tree plantation drive.

“Through maximum trees plantation, the country can be safeguarded from the negative effects of climate change,” he said while taking to media persons.

He also highlighted that Pakistan has only five per cent of area under forest and the government was committed to bring the forest cover to the area as per international standard.

Sharing the government’s initiatives to protect the natural forests, he said the government has planted around 15 million trees while 85 million more trees would be planted till 2021.

“We have formulated new forest policy while first ever wildlife policy of the country is in final phase,” he added.

Sharing the last five-year progress of the ministry, he said, under spring tree plantation drive about 407.3 millions trees had been planted while in Monsoon tree plantation drive 216.7 million trees had been planted with the survival rate of 70 per cent.