Sindh Agriculture University launches ambitious 10m tree plantation campaign.

To address climate change and environmental degradation, Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam has launched an ambitious 10 million tree plantation campaign in collaboration with provincial institutions, farmers, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The initiative aims to restore ecological balance and mitigate the adverse impacts of deforestation and climate change in the region.
The university’s Department of Energy and Environment, in partnership with the Lions Club Karachi, the High Court Environment Campaigner, and Rotary International, hosted a seminar titled “Planting for the Future: 10 Million Trees as Guardians Against Climate Change.” The inauguration ceremony, led by SAU Vice Chancellor Dr. Fateh Mari, featured distinguished participants including Vice Chancellors Dr. Nusrat Shah, Dr. Arabela Bhutto, and Dr. Rafiq Ahmed Memon, alongside representatives from public and private institutions and key farmer associations.
Addressing the audience, Dr. Fateh Mari emphasized the crucial role trees play in combating rising temperatures and the destructive effects of climate change, highlighting the severe damage caused by deforestation. He noted that deforestation has not only displaced millions due to flooding but has also caused irreparable losses to agriculture in the country.
Dr. Mari shared his vision of a collective effort across Sindh’s 1,100 union councils, over 50,000 schools, 300 colleges, 300 technical institutes, and more than 70 universities. He stated that with the support of these institutions, the target of planting 10 million trees is achievable. On this occasion, the Vice Chancellor also announced a conference on the various references to nature in the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, scheduled for October.
Dr. Nusrat Shah, Vice Chancellor of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, stressed the importance of incorporating environmental education at school and college levels, commending SAU’s leadership in spearheading the plantation drive across regions, including Larkana.
Dr. Arabela Bhutto, Vice Chancellor of Shaheed Allah Bux Soomro University of Art, Design, and Heritage, highlighted that the 17 goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development include clean water and sanitation, combating climate change, and protecting land resources, urging collective efforts toward these goals.
During the event, Dr. Rafique Ahmed Memon, Vice Chancellor of the University of Mirpurkhas, along with progressive farmer Syed Nadeem Shah, environmentalist Ghulam Nabi Morai, and SIDA Chairman Qabool Muhammad Khatian, shared their thoughts on the initiative. Prominent farmers Dr. Zulfiqar Yousfani, Mir Zubair Ahmed Talpur, and Syed Zarar Haider Shah pledged their commitment to the campaign, offering free saplings and calling for greater involvement from the forestry department.