National Parks of Pakistan

Lal Sohanra is a national park situated in the Bahawalpur district of Punjab. It is notable for being one of the largest national parks in South Asia and is a UNESCO-declared biosphere reserve.

Machiara National Park is located in Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir. It was officially notified as a National Park in 1996.

Saiful Muluk National Park, located in the Naran Valley of Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was created in 2003 to protect the area around the famous Lake Saiful Muluk.

Sheikh Buddin National Park (also spelled Sheikh Badin) is located in the Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The park was established in 2003 and covers 15,540 hectares.

Toli Pir is a hilltop area and a popular tourist spot situated in Tehsil Rawalakot within the Poonch District of Azad Kashmir.

Coniferous forests are evergreen forests found in the high-altitude northern areas of Pakistan. These forests consist of trees like Pine, Deodar, and Fir, which are adapted to cold climates and snowy winters.

Environmental experts and international standards suggest that at least 25% of a country's total land area should be covered by forests to maintain a healthy ecosystem and mitigate climate change effects.

Changa Manga, located near Lahore, is one of the largest and oldest man-made irrigated forests in the world. It was originally planted by the British in 1866 to provide fuel for steam engines.

The majority of Pakistan's mangrove forests are situated in the Indus River Delta in Sindh. These coastal forests protect the shoreline from erosion and serve as vital breeding grounds for fish and shrimp.

The Deodar (Cedrus deodara) is the National Tree of Pakistan. It is a large evergreen coniferous tree that thrives in the high altitudes of the Himalayas and Hindu Kush ranges.

Riverine or Bela forests are found in the floodplains of the Indus River and its tributaries. They rely on seasonal flooding for irrigation and consist of species like Sheesham and Babul.

Tropical Thorn Forests, also known as Rakh forests, are native to the plains of Pakistan. They are dominated by thorny, xerophytic trees like Acacia (Keekar) and Prosopis (Jand) that can survive with very little water.

The Ten Billion Tree Tsunami is a major national initiative aimed at restoring Pakistan's forest cover to combat global warming, increase carbon sequestration, and preserve biodiversity.

The Ziarat Juniper Forest is one of the largest and oldest juniper tracts in the world. Some of the trees are estimated to be over 2,500 years old, making it a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The northern areas face significant deforestation due to illegal logging by timber mafias and the local population's dependence on firewood for heating and cooking due to a lack of natural gas.

Sheesham, also known as Tahli in Punjabi, is a highly valued timber tree commonly grown in irrigated plantations and along roadsides across the plains of Pakistan.

Alpine forests and scrub are found at very high altitudes, typically above 3,500 meters, near the snow line. Vegetation is stunted due to extreme cold and a short growing season.

Under the Constitution of Pakistan, forestry is a provincial subject. Therefore, each province has its own Forest Department responsible for the protection and development of forest resources.

Linear plantations refer to rows of trees planted along man-made structures like highways, canal banks, and railway lines to prevent erosion, provide shade, and increase green cover.

Sub-tropical Pine forests are found in the lower hills of Murree, Hazara, and Azad Kashmir. The dominant species is the Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii), which is used for timber and resin.