How Native Trees Could Revive Peshawar’s Dying Environment
APP
Peshawar: As climate change tightens its grip on Pakistan, particularly in urban centers like Peshawar, environmentalists and forestry experts are sounding the alarm—and offering a solution rooted in the soil. Their message is simple but urgent: plant native trees to breathe life back into our cities.
“Trees are nature’s air conditioners,” says Gulzar Rehman, former Conservator of Forests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “They don’t just purify the air and provide shade—they cool down entire cities and even help bring back rainfall.”
The call comes at a time when Pakistan faces rising temperatures, frequent heatwaves, and dangerously polluted urban environments. Once renowned for its lush greenery and biodiversity, Peshawar today tells a starkly different story. Rapid urbanization has replaced forests with concrete, and the dense canopies that once shaded the city now survive only in memory.
A City in Environmental Decline
Historical accounts, such as the memoirs of Mughal Emperor Babar, describe Peshawar as a land rich in forests and wildlife. But visitors today are greeted by a haze of pollution, rising heat, and concrete sprawl.
“Cutting trees for housing schemes and unchecked urban expansion have driven Peshawar into a furnace of its own making,” Rehman explains. “The fewer the trees, the dimmer the chances of rain.”
Pakistan is home to more than 200 native tree species and nine unique forest ecosystems—some found nowhere else in the world. A single healthy tree, Rehman points out, can provide oxygen for four people and absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide daily. One hectare of forest can trap six to eight tons of CO₂ each day—an invaluable buffer against the escalating climate crisis.
Pollution, Heat, and the Health Toll
The stakes are more than environmental—they’re personal. Muhammad Irshad, Chief Analyst at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in KP, warns that the rising level of particulate matter in the air poses severe health risks.
“These fine pollutants are small enough to bypass the body’s defenses, lodging deep in the lungs and bloodstream,” Irshad explains. “They’re linked to heart attacks, strokes, and chronic respiratory diseases.”
And while seasonal tree plantation drives are routinely launched, experts are calling attention to deeper flaws in how they’re executed. Poor tree selection, lack of care, and minimal follow-up have weakened their long-term impact.
The Pitfall of the Exotic
Wajid Ali, former KP Forest Minister, points out a recurring problem: the obsession with ornamental and exotic species that are ill-suited to local climates.
“We saw the failed attempt to plant date palms along the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway. A similar effort had already failed in Islamabad’s Blue Area,” he recalls. “Why repeat a mistake?”
Ali emphasizes the need to prioritize indigenous trees, which are naturally adapted to local conditions and require less maintenance. These native trees also play a critical role in supporting local bird species, which are now in steep decline.
Cranes and Houbara Bustards, once common on Peshawar’s outskirts, are rarely seen. Warming waters and pollution have also taken a toll on aquatic life in the Swat and Kabul Rivers, where Mahseer and Trout populations have plummeted.
Green Revival
Despite these challenges, there are signs of hope. One of the most promising initiatives is the KP government’s 10 Billion Trees Tsunami Project, which has already started to bear fruit—quite literally.
“The first man-made forest in KP was developed in Ghari Chandan near Peshawar,” says Diyar Khan, the project’s director. “Millions of native saplings, especially canopy species, have been planted to reduce heat, curb pollution, and encourage rainfall.”
Building on this success, the provincial government is now expanding the initiative under the Billion Trees Plus program. This new phase emphasizes indigenous tree varieties and aims to restore ecological balance across urban and rural landscapes.
A Call to Action
But even the most ambitious reforestation efforts need more than government backing—they need public participation, expert guidance, and political commitment.
“These aren’t just green ornaments,” Rehman says. “They are lifelines for overheated, overbuilt cities. Their roots hold more than soil—they hold the promise of clean air, cool shade, and even the chance of rain.”
As Peshawar and other cities in KP battle environmental decline, one truth is becoming undeniable: a greener future begins with a single native tree—and the will to let it grow.
