LAHORE – The Punjab Forest Department organized a one-day workshop on ‘Revamping of Forest Department’ which aimed to revolutionize the forest department of the Government of Punjab and mainstreaming its development for the growth and prosperity of Punjab province.
The chief guest at the occasion was Yawar Zaman, Minister, Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries Department. Mian Waheed-ud-Din, Secretary, Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries Department; Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, Country Representative, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Pakistan; deputy secretaries; chief conservators, conservators, district forest officers and especially the retired officers of the Forest Department participated.
Since there is room for improvement in every department, the current government strives to improve the lives of local populace and making necessary changes in the rules and regulations of various departments to meet peoples’ requirements.
The responsibilities of Punjab Forest Department include sustainable management of natural forests, increasing and subsequently improving the forest cover, protecting the land and allocated water resources, improvement in rangelands and provision of sustainable source of wood to meet national wood requirements, conservation of wildlife and improvement in fisheries production.
According to Yawar Zaman, ‘In order to address the environmental problems of the 21st century and progress in the sectors of forestry, wildlife and fisheries, there is a need to run a robust programme, for which we have to adapt. This workshop will play an important role in this regard, especially with regards to its administrative structure, the upcoming provincial forest policy, ways to achieving maximum results and mobilizing media for raising forestry awareness among masses etc.
According to Mian Waheed-ud-Din, ‘Pakistan is ranked in the top ten list of countries most vulnerable to climate change. The world is a global village now and social media and other mass mediums have helped to raise awareness among the citizens to a greater extent. In developed countries, countless interventions have been made in the forestry sector which have helped to promote the conservation of flora and fauna. In the field of forestry, wildlife and fisheries, there is a need to make changes in it administratively, technically and at the policy level, so that these can progress with changes over time’.
Mian Waheed-ud-Din further said, ‘The department has initiated technology based management and established a latest GIS lab which will further empower its Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries wings and also ensuring robust monitoring and evaluation’.
A group discussion also took place in which the participants were divided into 11 different groups to discuss the various dimensions of forestry and later the participants presented their perspectives, which was followed by questions and answers.
