Pakistan plants the seeds of reforestation

Pakistanis are throwing seed balls to fight deforestation

Location: Islamabad

Seeds are placed inside a mix of clay and organic compost

This forms an outer layer that protects the seeds from animals

while providing nutrients for them to grow

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DEPUTY COMMISSIONER ISLAMABAD, HAMZA SHAFQAAT, SAYING:

"These balls are then given away to all the hikers who are coming here and they are given away to all people who are coming here for picnics. We have also hired our own 25 different teams who are taking these balls and they are throwing away in the areas where there are less trees."

(SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) YOUNG HIKER, HIFZA ANSAR, SAYING:

"This is a very simple method with which you can easily plant 50-60 plants in the time it would normally take to plant one the traditional way. It's actually 'throw and grow'. You just throw the seeds and nature takes over from there."