Italy will provide financial and technical assistance to Pakistan for the development of Karakoram National Park and national database on medicinal plants of Northern Areas of Pakistan, an official statement said. This was agreed during a meeting between Italian Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Policies Alemanno Glovanni and Pakistan's Minister of Environment Maj (retd) Tahir Iqbal. The Italian minister expressed his desire to have continued and extended collaboration with the ministry of environment in the areas of Forestry, Biodiversity, and Mountain Area Conservancy. It was decided that initially Karakoram National Park would be developed as a pilot project with an amount of 1.3 million Euro. The Italian government would also assist communities in Northern Areas under various projects of mountain resource management and preserving the national flora and fauna. In this regard a national database of rich variety of medicinal plants available in Northern Areas will be established which will help in introducing these plants to the world and initiating income generating projects for the local community. Iqbal appreciated the friendly gestures of the Italian minister and said that Pakistan needs Italian collaboration for the capacity enhancement of Forestry and Mountain Area Conservancy departments, as the treasures of forests and highest mountains in the Northern Areas should be preserved and conserved in an environment friendly and sustainable manner. The minister that assistance in training activities through building linkages with Italian universities would also be appreciated. He said that they would also like to benefit from the technical expertise available in Italy in the fields of marble quarrying and finishing as in Pakistan it is done in a way, which is polluting the environment of mountain areas. Both sides agreed to work on long-term projects for the preservation of national resources of Northern Areas and welfare of the communities.
