ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is losing an estimated 11,000 hectares of forest area every year due to persistent deforestation, posing severe threats to the country’s ecological balance, according to the data released in Pakistan Economic Survey 2026.
The official document highlights that Pakistan’s total forest cover currently stands at an estimated 4.11 million hectares, representing a meager 4.7 percent of the nation’s total land area.
Coniferous forests hold the largest share of this total, followed by scrub forests, riverine forests, mangroves, and irrigated plantation forests.
Despite their critical importance, these forest resources continue to face intense and sustained pressure.
To counteract rapid deforestation and enhance climate resilience, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, is implementing massive afforestation and ecosystem restoration initiatives.
Central to these efforts is the Green Pakistan Programme. Backed by a substantial budget allocation of Rs122.15 billion, the programme has successfully overseen the planting, regeneration, or distribution of nearly 2.26 billion plants across the country.
The survey underscores that despite these large-scale interventions, Pakistan remains highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This vulnerability is fueled by a combination of low baseline forest cover, rapid land-use modifications, population growth, rural poverty, and a heavy societal dependence on natural resources.
While the forestry sector’s direct contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is minor- accounting for only about 0.5 percent - the broader economic value of forests is far more substantial.
The survey notes that the overall value of forest ecosystem services, which include crucial functions like environmental protection, water regulation, biodiversity support, and livelihood benefits, is estimated at a staggering 11.48 percent of GDP.
The findings emphasise that while direct commercial logging yields minimal economic output, the survival of Pakistan’s environmental sustainability and long term economic well-being remains heavily tethered to the protection of its dwindling forests.
