PESHAWAR: Satellite analysis by Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) shows around 1.7 million trees now cover Garhi Chandan, a once-barren landscape on the outskirts of Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, highlighting one of the country’s most visible examples of large-scale ecological restoration.
The transformation forms part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Billion Tree Afforestation Project, launched in 2014 and later expanded into Pakistan’s nationwide tree-planting program. Officials and conservation experts say its success has depended not only on planting trees but also on involving local communities in protecting and managing the forest, generating income while restoring wildlife habitat.
A decade ago, Garhi Chandan was little more than barren land where only sparse grasses grew for grazing livestock. Today, before-and-after satellite images analyzed by SUPARCO show a dramatic transformation, with imagery from 2013 depicting a barren landscape and images from 2025 showing extensive forest cover.
For residents who have witnessed the transformation, the changes extend well beyond the landscape.
“The Forest Department came here and planted this forest, completely transforming the environment,” Jehangir Khan, a member of the local community, told Arab News during a trip to Ghari Chandan this week. “The weather has changed as well. Earlier, it used to be extremely hot.”
Khan said the return of vegetation has also brought back wildlife.
“New species of birds and animals have arrived. Even the species that already lived here were declining in number before, but because of the forest, their populations have increased greatly. Many new kinds of birds have also started appearing,” he said.
The forest is also providing direct economic benefits to surrounding communities. According to Muhammad Shakeel, Divisional Forest Officer in Peshawar, local residents earned Rs12.5 million (about $45,000) last year through scientifically managed pruning and thinning of mature trees, with returns expected to increase to around Rs70 million (about $250,000) in the coming year.
Residents also collect approved pruning waste for household firewood, reducing pressure on natural forests, while beekeepers use the plantation to produce honey.
“We only cut trees when the Forest Department allows us to. Before that, we don’t even touch them,” Khan said, describing the community’s role in preventing illegal logging and responding to occasional forest fires.
According to Shakeel, the project has entered a new phase focused on protecting the forest over the long term.
“Now we have prepared a 10-year sustainability plan for Garhi Chandan. Under that plan, German project is supporting us to ensure hiring of guards for sustainability,” he said.
Forest officials say the ecological recovery is becoming increasingly evident.
“Many native plant species that had disappeared from this area have returned naturally,” Shakeel said. “When this land was barren, wildlife had no habitat. Now after habitat is restored, three, four types of Partridges have come back to the area, Jackal and rabbit are coming and slowly more birds and animal will return to the area.”
Project Director Muhammad Junaid Dayar said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s original Billion Tree Afforestation Project exceeded its target.
“Our first project started in 2014 and ended in 2022. Under that, our target was 1 billion. And we surpassed that original target. And we planted 1.208 billion plants.”
Dayar said almost two billion trees have since been planted across various afforestation programs in the province. He said the Billion Tree Afforestation Project alone brought 593,000 hectares under tree cover, increasing forest cover in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 6 percent and Pakistan’s overall tree cover by 1 percent.
The project has also attracted international attention, including visits by Saudi officials studying Pakistan’s experience with large-scale afforestation. It has also drawn criticism over the use of eucalyptus, a fast-growing non-native species.
Dayar said eucalyptus was initially planted on degraded land where communities wanted fast-growing commercial trees, but the program’s approach has since changed.
“In the newer program we reduced eucalyptus to no more than 10 percent, while increasing indigenous species and natural regeneration,” he said.
Independent conservation experts say Garhi Chandan demonstrates the importance of involving local communities in forest protection.
“They hired the local community wardens and they are protecting the newly forested area from grazing, forest fire, and illicit cutting,” said Syed Kamran Hussain, Senior Manager at WWF-Pakistan.
“So, that is the best model and we can replicate it, especially in the plain areas in Punjab and Sindh. And with this initiative, we can increase the forest or the tree cover in the entire country.”
