The conference, held on Friday, presented a global strategy to double the forest cover of the province within the next five years.

The conference highlighted the need for urgent reform of the Forest Act 1927 to ensure that laws keep pace with contemporary environmental protection needs. Officials reaffirmed their intention to reorient the Punjab Forest Department from being a regulatory organization to becoming a torchbearer of environmental solutions and smart land use.

Under the province s biggest-ever tree planting drive, the government plans to plant 20 million saplings in the current monsoon season, with an ambitious target of 31 million in the 2026 monsoon. The campaign is a cornerstone of Punjab s overall struggle against climate change, smog, and land degradation.

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Participants discussed pressing challenges, including climate change, rapid population growth, and sustainable land management. The conference saw active participation from global and national stakeholders, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), WWF-Pakistan, and leading environmental experts from across the country.

Joint recommendations were presented for forest conservation, policy framework improvements, and future legislation to safeguard biodiversity and natural resources.

A spokesperson for the Punjab Forest Department reaffirmed the government’s resolve to integrate forest expansion with smart urban and rural planning, making it a central pillar of Punjab’s environmental and economic strategy.

By combining aggressive afforestation targets with updated legal frameworks, Punjab hopes to not only meet its environmental obligations but also set a precedent for sustainable development across Pakistan.