PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday approved the five-year Billion Tree Plus afforestation project, with a budget of Rs6.5 billion, aimed at ensuring ecological restoration, climate resilience, sustainable forestry and biodiversity conservation throughout the province.
The approval came during a meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party, which was chaired by additional chief secretary (planning and development) Islam Zeb here.
Senior officials of the forestry department briefed participants on the project’s objectives, implementation framework, financial requirements and anticipated environmental and socio-economic benefits.
Under the approved project framework, the Billion Tree Plus Project will be implemented by the Climate Change, Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department, throughout the province. The PC-I carries an estimated cost of Rs6.487 billion, while Rs500 million has been allocated for 2026-27 under the Annual Development Programme.
Officials say initiative places greater emphasis on scientific forest restoration, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation
During the meeting, Divisional Forest Officer Peshawar Mohammad Shakil and UGPP Project Director Junaid Dayar highlighted the strategic importance of the Billion Tree Plus Project and said that the initiative had been designed as a comprehensive natural resource management programme rather than merely a plantation drive.
They said that the project sought to build upon KP’s experience in large-scale afforestation by placing greater emphasis on scientific forest restoration, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, community participation, modern monitoring technologies, sustainable livelihoods and long-term ecological management.
Under the forestry component, the project aims to undertake 7,150 hectares of plantation and enrichment activities, establish 1,200 kanals of wild-fruit orchards, distribute approximately 44 million plants for farm forestry, prepare and implement three integrated landscape-restoration plans, and establish 278.13 hectares of departmental nurseries.
The project also includes rangeland rehabilitation and management, carbon-credit technical and financial feasibility, research and development, capacity building, public awareness and community participation, creating a broader framework for climate-smart and sustainable forest management across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Particular emphasis will be placed on restoring degraded and vulnerable landscapes, strengthening natural regeneration, improving the quality and availability of planting stock, and promoting farm forestry so that farmers and local communities become active partners in expanding tree cover and safeguarding natural resources.
The officials told the forum that the forestry component has an estimated financial outlay of approximately Rs5.409 billion, demonstrating the government’s commitment to making ecosystem restoration and forest conservation a central pillar of the province’s climate-resilience strategy.
Besides, they said the project also gave significant importance to wildlife and biodiversity conservation. “It envisages wildlife population censuses, habitat assessments, GIS-based mapping and scientific monitoring of protected areas and key biodiversity sites,” they said.
The project will assess 18 sites for expansion of trophy-hunting programmes, strengthen conservation of priority wildlife species, wetlands and waterfowl, implement the Large Carnivore Conservation Plan, and rehabilitate seven wildlife parks and breeding centres.
The wildlife component, according to officials, carried an estimated allocation of approximately Rs1.079 billion, while the combined forestry and wildlife components brought the total project cost to Rs6.487 billion.
A senior official told Dawn that during the course of the project, 55.9 million plants will be raised in forest nurseries across the province and will be planted all over the province.
He said that before the launch of the Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation programme, KP forest cover stood at 20pc and following the Billion Tree and 10 Billion Tree afforestation programmes, the forest cover has gone up to 26.3pc.
“This Billion Tree Plus program will add another 0.5pc to the province’s forest cover, taking the number to 26.8pc,” he said.
The official said that the department was working to increase the province’s forest up to 30pc in line with the announcement made by Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026
