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SD Conferences
Missing Links in Sustainable Development: South Asian Perspectives
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AbstractsSub-theme: Environment Panel1: Myths and realities of deforestation in Pakistan: Implications for sustainable forest management
Analysis of Myths and Realities of Deforestation in Northwest Pakistan: Implications for Forestry Extension In the mountain areas of NWFP, trees and forest resources almost always have a place in rural livelihoods. People rely on forests for livestock fodder, timber for houses, and above all for fuel wood, which is the most important, and often the only source of energy for cooking and heating for most rural households. In addition, forest people collect diverse non-timber forest products for use at the household level and for cash income. Farming is the most important subsistence oriented livelihood in the mountain areas of NWFP. To meet their subsistence, the farmers have to practice intensive methods of cultivation, and bring marginal land under cultivation through encroachment of forests and steep slopes. Although the forest resources of Pakistan are meager they contribute significantly to the economy. The forests of Pakistan perform various functions i.e. productive, protective, regulative and socio-cultural. Their role in soil conservation, water production, and regulation of stream flow and maintenance of ecological balance far exceeds the direct benefits realized from tangible forest products. Forest depletion is one of the most serious environmental issues for Pakistan. According to an estimate 39 thousand hectares of forests are vanishing annually. Between the years 1990 and 2000, the deforestation rate in Pakistan was 1.5% annually. People living in and around forests are often blamed for the exploitative forest resource use. Many authors believed that ineffective and unsustainable forest management practices by the state forest departments are the main cause of forest depletion, as they are focused more on economic rather than on environmental utility. Such practices also deny community subsistence needs. This paper analyzes some factors responsible for forest degradation in the mountainous areas of NWFP. The results are discussed in the light of the forest use patterns of the forest dwellers, and the perceptions of local people regarding condition of forests, change in forest cover, factors responsible for the forest depletion and increase of illegal cutting. Implications for effective forestry extension are also given. * Tanvir Ali is from the Department of Agricultural Extension, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. ** Babar Shahbaz is a Visiting Associate at SDPI. *** Dr.Abid Suleri is the Assistant Executive Director at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad, Pakistan. From critical analysis of forest destruction to pathways for sustainable forestry in NWFP - a challenge to research Recent research on the actual practice of forest use in the NWFP [e.g. Shahbaz (2006); Shaheen Rafi Khan (2006); Steimann (2005 & 2006); Sultan-i-Rome (2005); Suleri (2002); Geiser (2002 & 2004)] has highlighted a number of issues that contribute to the unsustainable management of this crucial natural resource. Among them are the mistrust between local people and forest officials; the unsolved legal framework that should govern forest use (as a result of legal pluralism); the relative importance of forest products for local livelihoods; the rather top-down implementation of joint forest management experiments; etc. These research insights go far beyond earlier explanations of forest destruction, which often blamed local people for overexploitation, by providing much more refined insights into the complex relationships between various social actors and forests. The challenge to these critical analyses now is to hypothesize on possible ways forward in the direction of more sustainable forest use practices. What can be derived from the differentiated understanding of the working of livelihood concerns, institutional mechanisms and power relations in view of recommending "realistic" pathways towards improved resource husbandry? The present paper discusses this challenge, and proposes elements of such pathways. The empirical context of this paper is based on the review of literature and the field researches conducted in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) during the last few years. References Geiser, U. (2002). Contested forests in North-West Pakistan: present-day struggles and the role of the "colonial". Paper presented at Panel 38 of the 17th European Conference of Modern South Asian Studies, 9-14 September 2002, Heidelberg. Geiser, U. and B. Steimann. (2004). State actors’ livelihoods, acts of translation, and forest sector reforms in Northwest Pakistan. Contemporary South Asia 13(4), (December, (2004) 437–448 Khan, S.R., Yusuf, M. and Riaz Khan (2006). Anatomy of a Peoples’ Rights Movement: A Case Study of the Sarhad Awami Forestry Ittehad (SAFI). Working paper 103. Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad Shahbaz, B. and T. Ali. (2006). Participatory forest management. In Troubled times: Sustainable development in the age of extremes. Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad, Pakistan: 148-158. City press Suleri, A.Q. (2002). Regional study on forest policy and institutional reform; Final Report of the Pakistan Case Study. Asian Development Bank, Manila. Steimann, B. (2005). Livelihood strategies in North West Pakistan. IP-6 Working Paper No. 5. NCCR North-South, Development study Group, University of Zurich, Switzerland. 92p * Dr. Urs Geiser is associated with the Development Study Group, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
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