ABOUT APTTA
All Pakistan Timber Traders Association (APTTA) as the name suggests is a body of timber merchants and most of its member are Third Generation in Wood and Timber and its Allied Product in business. It is basically a trade body of Timber merchants for the welfare of its members, liaison for improving forest well as environment and tax related matters too.
The objects for which the organization has been established are:
The aim of the association is non-political. To establish association comprising members from trade, industry and services to represent and deal with the affairs pertaining to commercial, commerce and industrial relationship is to organize for appropriate representation, at Pakistan level, of those engaged in Timber Trade in Pakistan and to play significant role in developing policy framework for improving business environment and economic growth for this section of business.
Our Moto Towards Green Pakistan
Deforestation is a threat not only to humans but also to animal, birds and reptiles as forests are the habitats for millions of species. Pakistan has almost 1029 known species of all animals, whiles 3.5 of these are endemic (which exist in no other country). It means they all are being endangered gradually or to be extinct soon. Along with being a sign of dangers for these spice deforestation causes an increase in temperature due to the scarcity of forest, hence result in the increased severity of global warming. Increased temperature is the biggest reason of melting of glaciers in Pakistan. Pakistan is a home of more than 5000 glaciers, which feed Indus River in summers and monsoon.
This is a known fact that our country dose note have any forest reserves and our forest reserves and our forests have depleted due to ruthless falling of trees and no proper plans for reforestation and enhancing forest cover from where we can get fuel wood and wood for construction purpose and even the production of local wood based products which substitute wood and whatever meager and insufficient forests are available must not be allowed to harvest any trees to stop the degradation of environment the whole world is making a big hue and cry for improving the environment and the countries with adequate forests like Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, Austria, USA, Canada have proper re-plantation policies for example when they harvest or fell one tree they one plant two trees which over period of time become available for harvesting and re-plantation and reforestation will be for next generation to come. INSHALLAH. We refer to Paris Climate Change Summit, which was held on 30th November 2015, where almost whole world had gathered including Pakistan. Despite being one of the most vulnerable country globally to climate change, we hardly ever give this topic the attention to it merits and we do not realize the importance of forest.
We need to highlight that our good friend and neighboring country China is importing wood and timber from all over the world. They import wood from many countries in the world like US, Canada, African countries and produce value added goods from raw material (Wood & Timber) and re-export to US, Canada, European Countries middle east and North African Countries which has given tremendous boost to their wood products exports.
It is regrettable that the Forest reserve in Pakistan according to FAO report 2015 is 1.9% which is almost zero whereas in most of the countries in the world they do not cut their forests if the Forest percentage is below 25% they keep their reserves with they have improved forest cover. This is by putting a complete ban on cutting their forest.
