Forestry in Pakistan
Encyclopedia
The forestry
sector of Pakistan is a main source of lumber
, paper
, fuelwood, latex
, medicine as well as food and provide ecotourism
and wildlife conservation
purposes. Less than 4% of land in Pakistan is covered with forests.
, paper
, fuelwood, latex
, medicine as well as human and animal food. Other minor products include resin
(a fluid in tissue of Chir pine
plant that become solid on exposure to the air) and 'mazri' (used for making baskets). The forests also provide of ecotourism
and wildlife conservation
purposes. Forests have also been planted in some areas like Thal Desert
to avoid soil erosion and further desertification
. Riparian zone
along the river Indus have been managed to avoid excess flooding.
provisionally valued this sector at Rs.25,637 million in 2005 thus registering over 3% decline of forests in Pakistan since 2000. The main reasons of deforestation are urbanization
, farming, overgrazing
, global warming
, and tourism development. This has led to severe consequences desertification
, flooding and endangering of wildlife
.
As a consequence to deforestation and changing land use patterns, the most critically affected ecosystems of Pakistan are:
, Kamalia
plantation and Chichawatni
plantation have also been planted to serve purpose and conserve forests. Through conservation, a large region of Thal desert
has been afforested
.
Natural protected forests
Artificial resource managed forests
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
sector of Pakistan is a main source of lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
, fuelwood, latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
, medicine as well as food and provide ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
and wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
purposes. Less than 4% of land in Pakistan is covered with forests.
Statistics
| Parameter | Pakistan | Asia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total forest area in 2000 (000 ha) | 2,361 | 504,180 | 3,869,455 |
| Natural forest area in 2000 (000 ha) | 1,381 | 375,824 | 3,682,722 |
| Plantations area in 2000 (000 ha) | 980 | 110,953 | 186,733 |
| Total dryland area in 1981 (000 ha) | 72,524 | 1,078,121 | 5,059,984 |
| Percentage of forests | ~3% | ~20% | ~29% |
Types
- The coniferous forests occur from 1,000 to 4,000 m altitudes. ChitralChitral DistrictChitral is a district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan that contains the town of Chitral. It has an area of 14,850 km² and a population of 318,689 at the 1998 Census, which had subsequently risen to about 378,000 people by 2004. It has one of the highest mountains of the world,...
, Swat, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, MalakandMalakand DistrictMalakand District is a district of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan.The District was formed in 1970 as a Provincially Administered Tribal Area, It had previously been a Tribal Area known as the Malakand Protected Area, part of the Malakand Agency...
, MansehraMansehraMansehra city is located at in Mansehra District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is very near to Abbottabad city. It is a major stop for tourists on the Karakoram Highway which leads to China...
and AbbottabadAbbottabadAbbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad KashmirAzad KashmirAzad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
and RawalpindiRawalpindiRawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
district of the Punjab are the main areas covered with coniferous forests. Silver fir (Abies alba), spruce (Picea smithiana), deodar (Cedrus deodara), blue pine (Pinus wallichiana), chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) are the most common varieties. The Coniferous forests also occur in BalochistanBalochistanBalochistan or Baluchistan is a region which covers parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. It can also refer to one of several modern and historical territories within that region:...
hills. Chilghoza pine (Pinus gerardiana) and juniper (Juniperous macropoda) are the two most common species of Balochistan.
- The sub-tropical dry forests are found in the AttockAttockAttock is a city located in the northern border of the Punjab province of Pakistan and the headquarters of Attock District...
, Rawalpindi, JhelumJhelumJhelum or Jehlum may refer to:* Jhelum, a city in Pakistan on the banks of the Jhelum River* Jhelum District, an administrative division in Punjab, Pakistan surrounding the city of Jhelum...
and GujratGujratGujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...
districts of the Punjab, and in the Mansehra, Abbottabad, MardanMardanMardan , known as The city of hospitality, is a city and headquarters of Mardan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is the de facto headquarters of the Yousafzai tribe and the second most populous city in the province, located at 34°12'0N 72°1'60E and an altitude of in the south...
, PeshawarPeshawarPeshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
and KohatKohatKohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa up to a height of 1,000 m. In Balochistan, they are confined to the Sulaiman MountainsSulaiman MountainsThe Sulaiman Mountains are a major geological feature of southeastern Afghanistan and northern Balochistan province of Pakistan. In Pakistan, it forms the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau where the Indus River separates it from the Asian Subcontient...
and other hilly areas. Dominant tree species are phulai (Acacia modestaAcaciaAcacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
), kau (Olea cuspidata) and hopbush (Dodonaea viscosaDodonaea viscosaDodonaea viscosa is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, that has a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of Africa, the Americas, southern Asia and Australasia.-Description:...
).
- The tropical thorn forests are dominated by xerophytic scrubs. They are most widespread in the Punjab plains but also occupy small areas in southern SindhSindhSindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
and western Balochistan. They are mainly used for grazing purposes, watershed protection and fuelwood. Common species are vann (Salvadora oleoides), khejri (Prosopis cinerariaProsopis cinerariaProsopis cineraria is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to arid portions of Western and South Asia, such as the Arabian and Thar Deserts...
), kair (Capparis aphylla), etc.
- The irrigated plantations were first developed in 1866 at Changa MangaChanga MangaThe Changa Manga is a planted forest and a wildlife park in Lahore District, Punjab, Pakistan.-Forestry:The forest is entered from a road from off the N-5 Highway near Bhai Pheru. The forest covers an area of and is one of the largest man-made forests on the planet...
in LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. Today they occupy about 226,000 ha. Sheesham (Dalbergia sissooDalbergia sissooDalbergia sissoo, known as Shisham, is an erect deciduous tree, native to the Indian Subcontinent. It is also called sissoo, sisu, sheesham, tahli and sometimes referred to as Indian Rosewood. It is state tree of Punjab state and provincial tree of Punjab province...
), mulberry (Morus alba), babul (Acacia niloticaAcacia niloticaAcacia nilotica is a species of Acacia native to Africa and the Indian subcontinent...
) and species of EucalyptusEucalyptusEucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
and Populus are the common tree species grown in the irrigated plantations.
- The riparian forests grow in narrow belts along the banks of River Indus and its tributaries. They are more commonly found in Sindh and to some extent in the Punjab. Babul (Acacia niloticaAcacia niloticaAcacia nilotica is a species of Acacia native to Africa and the Indian subcontinent...
), Shisham (Dalbergia sissooDalbergia sissooDalbergia sissoo, known as Shisham, is an erect deciduous tree, native to the Indian Subcontinent. It is also called sissoo, sisu, sheesham, tahli and sometimes referred to as Indian Rosewood. It is state tree of Punjab state and provincial tree of Punjab province...
) and Tamarax dioica are the most common species. Khejri (Prosopis cinerariaProsopis cinerariaProsopis cineraria is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to arid portions of Western and South Asia, such as the Arabian and Thar Deserts...
) and Populus euphratica are some other species. They are mainly used for lumber.
- The mangrove wetlands are located in the Indus River DeltaIndus River DeltaThe Indus River Delta , forms where the Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea in Pakistan. The delta covers an area of about 41,440 km² , and is approximately 210 km across where it meets the sea. The active part of the delta is 6,000 km² in area. The climate is arid, the region only receives...
. Other saltwater wetlands are located on the coast of BalochistanBalochistanBalochistan or Baluchistan is a region which covers parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. It can also refer to one of several modern and historical territories within that region:...
such as at SonmianiSonmianiSonmiani is a coastal town in the southeast of Balochistan province in Pakistan, approximately 145 kilometres northwest of Karachi. The coast of Sonmiani is the northernmost point of the Arabian Sea. The town also serves as a Union Council of Hub Tehsil. Sonmiani is noted for its space research...
and JiwaniJiwaniJiwani or Jwani is a town and commercial port that is located along the Gulf of Oman in the Gwadar District of the Balochistan province in Pakistan. It is located near the Pakistani border with Iran...
. These support mangroveMangroveMangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
forestry, mainly of species Avicennia marinaAvicennia marinaAvicennia marina, commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae...
as well as bambooBambooBamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
species and marsh grasses of ApludaApludaApluda is a genus of grass in the Poaceae family.- External links :*...
and Cenchrus.
| Ecosystem type | Pakistan | Asia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shrublands, woodlands and grasslands | 36% | 37% | 37% |
| Sparse or barren vegetation; snow and ice | 34% | 10% | 16% |
| Cropland and natural vegetation mosaic | 28% | 34% | 20% |
| Wetlands and water bodies | 1 % | 2% | 3% |
Uses
The forets of Pakistan are a main source of lumberLumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
, fuelwood, latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
, medicine as well as human and animal food. Other minor products include resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
(a fluid in tissue of Chir pine
Chir Pine
The Chir Pine, Pinus roxburghii, named after William Roxburgh, is a pine native to the Himalaya.The range extends from northern Pakistan , across northern India and Nepal to Bhutan.It generally occurs at lower altitudes than other pines in the Himalaya, from...
plant that become solid on exposure to the air) and 'mazri' (used for making baskets). The forests also provide of ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
and wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
purposes. Forests have also been planted in some areas like Thal Desert
Thal Desert
The Thal desert is situated in Punjab, Pakistan. It is vast area mainly between the Jhelum and Sindh rivers near the Pothohar Plateau. Its total length from north to south is 190 miles, and its maximum breadth is while minimum breadth is 20 miles. This region is divided into the districts of...
to avoid soil erosion and further desertification
Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
. Riparian zone
Riparian zone
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...
along the river Indus have been managed to avoid excess flooding.
| Parameter | Pakistan | Asia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total production (000m³) | 31,528 | 1,111,958 | 3,261,621 |
| Fuelwood production (000m³) | 29,312 | 863,316 | 1,739,504 |
| Industrial roundwood production (000m³) | 2,217 | 268,470 | 1,522,116 |
| Paper (thousand metric tons) | 619 | 88,859 | 313,206 |
Deforestation
The Federal Bureau of StatisticsFederal Bureau of Statistics
The Federal Bureau of Statistics, also known as FBS is a Government of Pakistan's major and executive and federal department charged with the national statistical services and to provide solid and comprehensive statistical research. The FBS is one of the departments of the Statistics Division of...
provisionally valued this sector at Rs.25,637 million in 2005 thus registering over 3% decline of forests in Pakistan since 2000. The main reasons of deforestation are urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
, farming, overgrazing
Overgrazing
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, or by overpopulations of native or non-native wild animals.Overgrazing reduces the...
, global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, and tourism development. This has led to severe consequences desertification
Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
, flooding and endangering of wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
.
As a consequence to deforestation and changing land use patterns, the most critically affected ecosystems of Pakistan are:
- Juniper forests of northern BalochistanBalochistanBalochistan or Baluchistan is a region which covers parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. It can also refer to one of several modern and historical territories within that region:...
, have been heavily harvested for timber and fuelwood. - Indus River riparian zoneRiparian zoneA riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by...
is the other such area where ecological changes have drastically affected the 'Riverain Forests'. Large tracts have been cleared for agriculture. - The Himalayan temperate forests are also under severe pressure from logging for timber and firewood and making clearings for agriculture and the increasing population pressure.
Conservation
The proteced areas serve the purpose of conserving the forests and wildife of Pakistan. National Conservation Strategy of 1993 was a major landmark of start of conservation of natural resources and wildlife in Pakistan. Resource-managed man-made forests like Changa MangaChanga Manga
The Changa Manga is a planted forest and a wildlife park in Lahore District, Punjab, Pakistan.-Forestry:The forest is entered from a road from off the N-5 Highway near Bhai Pheru. The forest covers an area of and is one of the largest man-made forests on the planet...
, Kamalia
Kamalia
Kamalia is a city and tehsil of the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It is part of Toba Tek Singh District, which is part of the erstwhile Faisalabad Division.-History:...
plantation and Chichawatni
Chichawatni
Chichawatni is a town in the Sahiwal District of the Pakistani province of Punjab. Situated near the Grand Trunk Road, it lies approximately from Sahiwal, the district capital.-Etymology:...
plantation have also been planted to serve purpose and conserve forests. Through conservation, a large region of Thal desert
Thal Desert
The Thal desert is situated in Punjab, Pakistan. It is vast area mainly between the Jhelum and Sindh rivers near the Pothohar Plateau. Its total length from north to south is 190 miles, and its maximum breadth is while minimum breadth is 20 miles. This region is divided into the districts of...
has been afforested
Afforestation
Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no forest. Reforestation is the reestablishment of forest cover, either naturally or artificially...
.
Natural protected forests
- Birir Valley Coniferous Forest in Chitral DistrictChitral DistrictChitral is a district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan that contains the town of Chitral. It has an area of 14,850 km² and a population of 318,689 at the 1998 Census, which had subsequently risen to about 378,000 people by 2004. It has one of the highest mountains of the world,...
(also called 'Deodar Chilghoza Oak Forest') - Jhangar Scrub Forest in Chakwal DistrictChakwal DistrictChakwal is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Chakwal district was created in 1985; until the year 2000 when divisions were abolished, it was part of Rawalpindi Division.-Administration:...
- Sulaiman Coniferous Forest in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (also called 'Sulaiman Chilgoza Pine Forest')
- Ziarat Juniper Forest in Ziarat DistrictZiarat DistrictZiarat is a district in the north of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Ziarat town is headquarters of the district of the Sub division, and also of the tehsil. Khilafat Hills are the highest peak with an altitude of in Ziarat district...
Artificial resource managed forests
- Changa Manga ForestChanga MangaThe Changa Manga is a planted forest and a wildlife park in Lahore District, Punjab, Pakistan.-Forestry:The forest is entered from a road from off the N-5 Highway near Bhai Pheru. The forest covers an area of and is one of the largest man-made forests on the planet...
in Lahore DistrictLahore DistrictLahore District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan that contains the city of Lahore, the district and provincial capital. The total area is... - Chichawatni Plantation in Sahiwal DistrictSahiwal DistrictSahiwal District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. As of 1998, it had a population of 1,843,194 people, 16.27% of which were located in urban areas. Since 2008, Sahiwal District along with Okara District and Pakpattan District has comprised the Sahiwal Division...
- Khipro Reserve Forest in Sanghar DistrictSanghar DistrictSanghar District is one of the largest districts of Sindh province, Pakistan. It is located in the centre of Sindh and is bounded to the east by India. The district capital, Sanghar, is itself a small city roughly east-south-east of the city of Nawabshah and the same distance north of Mirpur...
Research institutions
- Agricultural Research Institute, QuettaQuettais the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
- Punjab Forest School (profile), BahawalpurBahawalpurBahawalpur , located in the province of Punjab, is the twelfth largest city in Pakistan. The city was once the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The city was home to various Nawabs and counted as part of the Rajputana states...
- Pakistan Forest Institute (profile), PeshawarPeshawarPeshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
- Sindh Agriculture UniversitySindh Agriculture UniversitySindh Agriculture University, is situated in Tando Jam town at 18 km from Hyderabad, on Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas road and is about 200 km from Karachi airport linked with super highway to Hyderabad...
, Hyderabad - University of AgricultureUniversity of Agriculture, FaisalabadThe University of Agriculture, Faisalabad جامعہ زرعيه فيصل آباد, originally the Punjab Agricultural College and Research Institute, Lyallpur, is a university in the city of Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan....
(profile), FaisalabadFaisalabadFaisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...
See also
- Wildlife of PakistanWildlife of PakistanWildlife of Pakistan: flora and fauna and their natural habitats.-Northern highlands and plains:The northern highlands include lower elevation areas of Potohar and Azad Kashmir regions and higher elevation areas embracing the foothills of Himalayan, Karakorum and Hindukush mountain ranges...
- Agriculture in PakistanAgriculture in PakistanPakistan's principal natural resources are arable land and water. About 25% of Pakistan's total land area is under cultivation and is watered by one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. Pakistan irrigates three times more acres than Russia...
- Protected areas of PakistanProtected areas of PakistanAs of present, there are around 157 protected areas in Pakistan that are recognized by IUCN.-Statistics:-IUCN categories:-See also:*Geography of Pakistan*Forestry in Pakistan*Wildlife of Pakistan*Tourism in Pakistan*Environmental issues in Pakistan...
- Ecoregions of Pakistan
- Environmental issues in PakistanEnvironmental issues in PakistanEnvironmental issues in Pakistan threaten the population’s health and have been disturbing the balance between economic development and environmental protection...
- Tourism in PakistanTourism in PakistanTourism in Pakistan has been stated as being the tourism industry's "next big thing". Pakistan with its diverse cultures, people and landscapes has attracted 0.7 million tourists to the country, almost double to that of a decade ago....