Planting Trees on the Roof of the World Xining, PRC

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TREEs PlANTEd

Inhabitants 35.52 million

GdP per capita $4,328

Geographic area 74,521 km²

ThE ChAllENGE

To restore a previously deforested area and contribute to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Green Growth Initiative, two approaches of protected natural regeneration and planned afforestation were set in motion.

CO-BENEFITs

Economic

The economic benefits are estimated to be around $121 million for the province in terms of carbon sequestration, watershed improvement, and sustainable future forest resources.

social

An estimated 500,000 green jobs have been created by the nurseries, which can generate incomes of around PRs12,000–PRs15,000 ($115$140) a month for villagers.

Environmental

Large-scale reforestation is also expected to have positive effects for biodiversity conservation, as forests provide habitat for a broad range of species.

a Green Wave of reforestation

A region of Northern Pakistan has successfully reforested an area with 1 billion trees in just 2 years, protecting vital natural ecosystems and the services they provide.

Following decades of deforestation in Pakistan, a push by the regional government saw a mass reforestation effort leading to the planting of 1 billion trees and the conservation of more than 350,000 hectares.

The so-called “billion tree tsunami” project is a part-mitigation, part-adaptation effort from Pakistan, a country that contributes less than 1% of global emissions, but is in the top 10 countries expected to be worst-hit by climate change.

The reforestation efforts have occurred in the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where 40% of the country’s remaining forests occur. After years of deforestation, forests accounted for just 2% of Pakistan’s total land area.

In preparation for the “tsunami,” 13,000 private and government nurseries were set up, which contributed 40% of the new trees in the region. The remainder have come from protection and regeneration of existing lands.

Green growth initiative. In an effort to combat the effects of global warming and improve forest ecosystems, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa planted over 1 billion trees with the support of local communities and other stakeholders (photo by Rahman Shah).

39K

hECTAREs OF FOREsT INTROdUCEd

Inhabitants 2.39 million

GdP per capita $7,149

Geographic area 7,660 km²

ThE ChAllENGE

Xining suffers from extremely poor air quality, soil degradation due to pressure from livestock, and vulnerability to harsh weather events.

CO-BENEFITs

Economic

During the project implementation, 35,000 jobs were created for land preparation and planting, and 150 long-term forest management jobs were established.

health

Since trees can act as air filters by removing particulates that cause respiratory diseases, the afforestation project will improve the health of residents.

Environmental

By increasing the forest cover, the project will enhance carbon sequestration, increase biodiversity, prevent erosion, and improve water conservation.

planting trees on the roof of the World

The capital of Qinghai Province in the western region of the PRC has initiated an afforestation and reforestation project on the Tibetan Plateau on a huge scale.

From 2016–2018, the city of Xining introduced more than 39,000 hectares of forest within the city and in neighboring counties. In the high-altitude and semiarid region of the PRC, this is no small challenge. By focusing efforts on barren and degraded grasslands, the project expects to see greater levels of carbon sequestration, while also improving the local environment and economy.

The degradation of land in Qinghai Province is expected to be further exacerbated by climate change, with temperatures increasing three times faster on the Tibetan Plateau than the global average.5

Xining is the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau and has an average elevation of 2,200 meters above sea level. Although it is more challenging and expensive to conduct afforestation efforts in higher altitudes, the project was able to select tree varieties more suited to the local climate, and organized training sessions for local farmers to spread knowledge of effective seed cultivation and forest management techniques.

5 Reuters. 2018. Temperatures Significantly Rise on the PRC’s Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: State Media. 27 October.

Xining’s greening efforts. The project will increase carbon sequestration and support the sustainable development of the local economy (photo by Xu Shouxiang).