Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Forestry Sector

The document identifies five high-priority mitigation options for Pakistan's forestry sector: community-based forest management, preservation of conifer forest land, agroforestry practices, commercial plantations, and reforestation of degraded land. These options are characterized by low marginal abatement costs (mostly <$25/Tonne CO2e) and the potential to reduce emissions by a total of 21.7 MtCO2e by 2030. The sector faces significant challenges, including a net loss of over one million hectares of forest between 1990 and 2015, an entrenched illegal timber trade, and a lack of a national carbon monitoring system.

• Pakistan experienced a net loss of more than one million hectares of forest between 1990 and 2015, resulting in a carbon stock reduction exceeding 100 mega tonnes of CO2.
• Forestry and land use change accounted for approximately 3% of Pakistan's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 (about 9 MtCO2e), though this share is projected to drop to 0.36% by 2050.
• Under a business-as-usual scenario, forestry sector emissions are projected to increase by 150% between 2012 and 2030, rising from approximately 10 MtCO2e to 15 MtCO2e.
• Five high-priority mitigation options were identified as cost-effective and immediately implementable: community-based forest management, preservation of conifer forest land, agroforestry practices, commercial plantations, and reforestation of degraded land.
• Implementing agroforestry practices on an additional 3% of agricultural land is the most impactful single mitigation measure, with a projected reduction of 8.4 MtCO2e by 2030 and a very low marginal abatement cost of less than $10 per tonne of CO2e.
• The preservation of conifer forest land is highlighted as a critical strategy due to the high carbon stock and presence of peatlands in these forests; protecting 50% of these forests by 2025 could reduce emissions by 4 MtCO2e by 2030.
• Commercial plantations are proposed to address a wood product supply gap of at least 30 million cubic meters per year, potentially reducing emissions by 3.2 MtCO2e by 2030 if implemented on 400,000 hectares of arable land.
• Significant barriers to forestry mitigation include the absence of a national carbon inventory, the provincial nature of environmental management, and an entrenched illegal timber trade that promotes corruption.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (n.d.). Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Forestry Sector. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/fact-sheet-Pakistan-Forestry-sector.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Forestry Sector. n.d. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/fact-sheet-Pakistan-Forestry-sector.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Forestry Sector |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/fact-sheet-Pakistan-Forestry-sector.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetworkndgreenhouse, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Forestry Sector}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/fact-sheet-Pakistan-Forestry-sector.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }