level of air pollution in the National Plantation Drive QUICK FACTS cities and villages. Pakistan is one of the youngest and fastest Duration: 2020 - 2021 Implementing partners: Daraz Pakistan , Shan Foods developing countries of the world. Pvt Limited Karachi is among the most polluted cities in the Location: Karachi, Sindh world. The air of the city is polluted with high Funding partners: Daraz Pakistan, Shan Foods levels of lead and cadmium that pose a grave [email protected] risk to public health, says a recent study that also points out that the average concentration of these trace metals found in residential areas of Karachi is higher than those found in Delhi and Beijing. In another environmental study, the research team has found that Karachi, Pakistan, holds the world’s title for ozone. Of the nearly 300 measurements collected over 1 year, roughly a third exceeded what the researchers considered a “harmful” threshold for ozone, which can lead to smog. UNAP is planning a project of plantation and forestation in the province of Sindh. It will be a contribution to SDG 13 (Climate Action) which aims to conserve and restore the use of terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, drylands and mountains by 2020. Halting deforestation is also vital to mitigating the impact of climate change. It calls for action to reduce the high Page | 1 UNAP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. Programme Outputs • Considering the land and forest situation in Sindh, especially the urban area of Karachi, a plantation project is planned to improve the environment and ecosystem of Karachi and Umerkot District, which is currently under the threat of a major environment threatening factor: air By 2020, ensure the conservation, pollution. restoration and sustainable use of • There will be four (4) phases of the terrestrial and inland freshwater plantation project, each phase comprising ecosystems and their services, in particular of drives and campaigns to plant 5,000 forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, trees in Karachi and rural areas of Sindh. in line with obligations under international The project will span across one year. agreements. • Facilitate behavioural changes and • By 2020, promote the implementation of practices to improve financial outcomes; sustainable management of all types of including financial wellbeing through forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded increased savings, improved debt forests and substantially increase management, perceived financial stress or afforestation and reforestation globally. satisfaction. • By 2030, combat desertification, restore • The project will help meet the following degraded land and soil, including land targets of SDG 15 – Climate Action. affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world. Page | 2 Page | 3 .