ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan’s flagship Chilgoza pine forest restoration project received major international recognition in Italy on Tuesday.

The ‘UN Decade on Eco­system Restoration Wor­­ld Restoration Flag­ship Awa­rd’ for the project ‘Rever­s­ing Deforesta­tion and Deg­radation in High Conser­vation Value Chilgoza Pine Forests’ was announced during the 80th anniversary celebrations of the UN Food and Agriculture Org­anisation (FAO) and the World Food Forum held in in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday.

Implemented between 2018 and 2025 under the Restoration Initiative, the project is a joint effort of the Ministry of Climate Change, provincial forest departments and FAO. It focuses on conserving and restoring the country’s unique Chilgoza pine forests across Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa, Baloch­istan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, FAO said.

Pine nuts generate over $25 million annually for Pakistan. FAO’s approach is now being scaled up with national resources, including $3m from the KP Forestry Department.

According to FAO, restoration of 20 per cent of degraded Chilgoza forests has been achieved throu­­gh income-generating activities for local communities, such as pine nut processing units.

Speaking at the award ceremony, PM’s adviser Dr Syed Tauqir Hussain Shah said the initiative had restored 3,800 hectares of degraded forest land.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2025