Gulistan Rani is a student of Biological Sciences at Karakorum International University in Hunza.

She is committed to tree plantation in her area– which is vulnerable to natural calamities due to climate change. Being a student of Biological Sciences, she understands the benefits of reforestation for the environment. Due to rising temperature, Galactical Lakes Outburst Floods (GLOF) are now happening frequently in Northern Pakistan. Reforestation is identified as one of the solutions that can reverse the process of rapidly changing climate.

Gulistan has taken to planting trees and ‘adopting’ them under the ‘Adopt a Tree’ campaign launched by our GLOF II Project.

“I have taken the responsibility to look after this plant, and also plant as many more trees as possible!”, she said.

Gulistan is enthusiastic to lead this campaign and work as an Ambassador to promote the initiative in her area.  She has plans of involving local students as well as religious institutions and community organizations in District Hunza and Nagar to adopt a tree and plant at least ten trees in a year.

UNDP’s project GLOF II— a scale up and continuation of GLOF I— aims to help vulnerable communities prepare for, and mitigate GLOF disasters, through installation of early warning systems, enhancing infrastructure and community-based disaster risk management. The Project is implemented by Ministry of Climate Change, Planning and Development Departments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, and Pakistan Metrological Department, in ten districts of Gilgit Baltistan and five districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The project is funded by Green Climate Fund, UNDP, and Government of Gilgit Baltistan.