Institutional analysis for the management of mangrove forests in Pakistan
Waheed-ul-Zafar Zahdi and Kashif M. Salik*
Asma Junaid**
There is limited understanding of integrating scientific information into sustainable management of complex socio-ecological systems. In response to this ‘sustainable forest resource management’ has been developed in many developing countries. The alarming disappearance of mangrove forests of Pakistan, particularly in Sindh province, at a rapid rate of 2% per annum makes them ‘critically threatened’. Furthermore, inefficient forest management in Pakistan has resulted into instability and conflict between the local population and government. This study conducts an institutional performance analysis of the management of mangrove forests of Indus Delta.

A questionnaire-based institutional survey, along with key informant interviews, was carried out with different stakeholders including the Sindh Forest Department (SFD), Sindh Board of Revenue (BoR), Port Qasim Authority (PQA), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Pakistan Fisher-folk Forum (PFF). The analysis of the survey reveals that forest policies in Pakistan which were initially planned to attain forest conservation could not be efficiently implemented due to weak stipulation of property rights, public-private ownership conflicts, inadequate staff and financial resources, overlapping of management rights and delegation of powers amongst different government institutions. Changing trends in forest management and practical experiences are needed to initiate new approach in which ‘conservation and development’ replaces ‘conservation versus development’ for sustainable mangrove forest management in Pakistan.
* Mr. Waheed-ul-Zafar Zahdi and Mr. Kashif M. Salik work with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad, Pakistan.
** Ms Asma Junaid has worked as a researcher with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad, Pakistan.