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Good practice Imported

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Billion Tree Tsunami — Provincial Forest Restoration Payments (Pakistan)

Pakistan · Peshawar · See the Pakistan profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 81% 33/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's provincial government paid community watchers and nursery growers to regenerate 350,000 ha of forest, exceeding its Bonn Challenge pledge — later scaled nationally, though corruption probes and pastoralist exclusion were documented.

350,000 ha
Forest and degraded land restored (KP phase) (2014-2018)
348,400 ha
Bonn Challenge pledge target
60%
Share of restored area via protected natural regeneration (2014-2018)
40%
Share of restored area via active planting (2014-2018)
US$123 million
KP government investment (2014-2018)
13,000+
Private nurseries established (2014-2018)
872.3 million
Total seedlings planted
89%
Average seedling survival rate
PKR 125.18 billion (~US$800 million)
National scale-up budget (Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, 2019-2023) (2019-2023)
~164,500
Daily-wage workers employed nationally (2019-2023)
PKR 462 million
Alleged corruption/embezzlement value under NAB inquiry (2018-2020)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Billion Tree Tsunami — Provincial Forest Restoration Payments (Pakistan)

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — Forest, Environment & Wildlife Department
Period
2014-2018 (KP phase); scaled nationally 2019-2023
Keywords
afforestation, assisted natural regeneration, provincial PES, forest watchers, Bonn Challenge, nursery employment

Context

Between 2014 and 2018, the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, ran the Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Programme through its Forest, Environment & Wildlife Department.

Objectives

Rather than paying for tree-planting alone, the scheme paid community-appointed 'nighaban' (watchers) a daily wage to guard enclosed, degraded forest patches from grazing, fire and illegal logging so they could regenerate naturally, while separately paying growers to run thousands of village-level tree nurseries supplying seedlings for active planting.

Activities

The province paid daily wages to forest watchers and nursery growers, establishing more than 13,000 private nurseries and combining protected natural regeneration with active planting across enclosed forest patches.

Results

An independent 2017 IUCN assessment confirmed the province had restored 350,000 hectares of forest and degraded land, surpassing its 348,400-hectare Bonn Challenge pledge, with roughly 60% of the area recovering through protected natural regeneration and 40% through active planting; the KP government invested US$123 million. Globally reported figures put total seedlings planted at 872.3 million with an 89% average survival rate. The model was subsequently scaled up nationally as the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (2019-2023), with a PKR 125.18 billion (~US$800 million) budget that employed roughly 164,500 daily-wage workers as forest guards, nursery hands and planters.

Conclusions

The programme's evidence record includes real governance shortcomings: Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau opened corruption inquiries in 2018 (expanded in 2020) into alleged 'ghost labour' and embezzlement worth an estimated PKR 462 million. Independent field research published by Jamhoor in 2018 also found that payments and future timber rights accrued mainly to landowners sitting on the Village Development Councils that controlled enclosures and appointments, while landless Gujjar pastoralist tenants lost grazing access with no compensation or representation — a documented equity failure in who captured the scheme's payments.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Very high (> €5M) — KP phase (2014-2018): US$123 million provincial investment. National scale-up (Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, 2019-2023): PKR 125.18 billion (~US$800 million) budget.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — KP phase ran 2014-2018; the model was scaled up nationally as the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme from 2019-2023.
Staffing & skills
Community-appointed 'nighaban' (forest watchers), daily-wage, Village-level nursery growers, KP Forest, Environment & Wildlife Department staff, ~164,500 daily-wage workers nationally (guards, nursery hands, planters)

Conditions for success

  • Community-level enclosure guarding (nighaban watchers) paid a daily wage to prevent grazing, fire and illegal logging
  • Large network of village-level nurseries (13,000+) to supply seedlings for active planting
  • Independent third-party verification (IUCN 2017 assessment) of restored area against an international pledge (Bonn Challenge)

Common failure modes

  • National Accountability Bureau corruption inquiries (2018, expanded 2020) into alleged 'ghost labour' and embezzlement worth an estimated PKR 462 million
  • Documented equity failure: payments and future timber rights accrued mainly to landowners on Village Development Councils, while landless Gujjar pastoralist tenants lost grazing access with no compensation or representation (Jamhoor 2018 field research)

Where it fits

Governance type
provincial government department, later scaled to national government programme
Scale
provincial (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), later national
Income level
lower-middle-income (Pakistan)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

Where it's been adopted

Documented replications and adaptations of this practice elsewhere.

PlaceWhenAdopterOutcome
Pakistan 2019 Government of Pakistan (national) Scaled to a national Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (2019-2023) with a PKR 125.18 billion (~US$800 million) budget employing roughly 164,500 daily-wage workers.

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