Cover Changes
Forests cover nearly 30% of the Earth and act as vital carbon sinks, yet climate change, wildfires, pests, and disease are pushing these ecosystems under growing threat. In Pakistan, where forests cover less than 5% of the land, protecting and restoring forest resources has become a climate imperative. With demand rising for reliable, up-to-date data, space-based technologies are emerging as a game-changer, tracking forest loss, detecting human and natural impacts, and supporting carbon accounting, resilience planning, biodiversity protection, and ecosystem restoration through timely, science driven insights.
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National Geospatial Forest Cover Estimation
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Deforestation & Afforestation Monitoring
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Forest Health Monitoring (Density & Seasonal Growth)
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Early Warning Systems (Deforestation, Forest Fire & Hazards)
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Hyperspectral & Optical Forest Types & Species Mapping
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AI-Integrated Forest Cover Analytics
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Above-Ground Biomass, Carbon Stock & GHG Inventory
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Wildlife & Forest Biodiversity Mapping
- Satellite data assisted AI-based Forest Cover Mapping of Pakistan (2019 & 2025)
- Quantifying Forest Cover Change from National to District scales across Pakistan
- Satellite-augmented plantation sites monitoring for KP’s 10-BTTP program
- Development of Forest Geospatial Watch (FGW) for public forest awareness & information access
Forest Cover of Pakistan
Forests are spread across specific regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1.32 million ha, 47.5%), Punjab (0.45 million ha, 16.14%), Azad Kashmir (0.42 million ha, 15%), Balochistan (0.24 million ha, 8.6%), Gilgit Baltistan (0.18 million ha, 6.6%) and Sindh (6.5%), respectively. This highlights the significance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa forests in term of national resources and need for forest conservation to as climate mitigation strategy.
Forest Types In Pakistan
Recent Studies
Different forests have varying growing conditions from higher elevation in north to low-lying coastal mangrove forest visible from satellite view.
Different forests have varying growing conditions from higher elevation in north to low-lying coastal mangrove forest visible from satellite view.
Forest cover is also prone to natural hazards like wildfire in Pakistan which can be effectively demarcated and mitigated through satellite data. One of such events has been recorded in Sheerani Chilgoza pine forest fire of 2022, where SUPARCO provided satellite-based insights by locating the extent of the forest fire and estimated burn scar areas in timely manner.
Forest Geospatial Portal
The Forest Geospatial Portal offers interactive analytics on forest cover, seasonal growth, and real-time deforestation alerts, identifying the top districts at risk.