ISLAMABAD: The experts on Monday warned of enhanced risk of flooding and other natural catastrophes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) due to massive deforestation in the province at the hands of timber mafia.
A seminar titled ‘Walking into Disaster: Massive Illegal Deforestation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ was jointly organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and Sarhad Conservation Network (SCN).
Chairperson, Board of Governors, SDPI Ambassador (R) Shafqat Kakahel in his vote of thanks extended his gratitude to the speakers and guests. He commended the effort of the SCN for collaborating with the Institute on a provincial issue as the latter had most of its focus on the federal level.
Ambassador Kakakhel said the climate change impacts will be felt in the provinces and we must unite on behalf of communities for their own wellbeing. Forests, he said are an integral part of the discourse on climate change as it has its impacts on cross-sectoral areas from sea level rise to heatwaves and forest fires.
“Pakistan is a forest-deficient country due to its soil and less rainfall. The model of Iran for conservation of lakes, wetlands and water bodies which is appreciable as it is a water deficient country, should be replicated for forest conservation,” he added.
While moderating the discussion, Convener, SCN, Dr Adil Zareef said the issue of deforestation has been pronounced since June 2023 after the caretaker government came into power in the province. He said the situation was disturbing in newly merged and settled districts due to increased tree cutting leaving the lush green forests denuded and the future of generations compromised.
Dr Zareef said forest was a devolved subject after the 18th Amendment but it is a transboundary issue affecting locally, regionally and internationally as the country is ranked fifth most vulnerable on the Global Climate Index. He added that the forum intended to garner workable suggestions from this seminar to pass it on to the relevant forums. He warned that deforestation can cause serious consequences during flooding. A small video montage by Sarhad Conservation Network and SDPI based on over 100 images highlighting the forests of KP and its rapid deforestation was presented to the participants.
In his opening remarks, Mohammad Rafiq, former Country Head of IUCN and an expert environmentalist said despite its lower emissions Pakistan is mostly exposed to climate disasters. He opined that deforestation is not new but rather it started from the British Colonial era when they raised the teak forests for its timber supplies. The British to serve their purpose introduced malicious legislation that divided the forests into protected and guzara forests dividing it between the state and the communities, he said.
He regretted that the deforestation has increased backed by the timber mafia deeply aligned with forest service. However, the benefits did not reach the forest owners as the local masses cannot access the decision-making forums which give room to the contractors (timber mafia) to exploit the forests. He recommended that the forest needs to be managed under approved working or management plans which indicates the entire progress of the forest.
Muhammad Rafiq further added that a completely independent review of the forest service and management along with a coherent policy and legal framework and a hundred-year vision for forest management should be done. Moreover, an irreversible policy decision to stop the commercialization of state forests forever should be taken as forests standing are more valuable than forest cut, he added.
Former Senator Afrasiab Khattak, President of Roshaan Democratic Institute said the problem in KP is that tribal expansion has been overextended into our areas. “We had a very difficult geography that put us at the receiving end of the Russia-British colonial era contestation and also the region has been ravaged by the global war on terror,” he added.
Khattak said the prolonged domination of feudal gentry owning the land in KP impacted the forest sector as well who wanted to become capitalistic elites through shortcuts. He suggested that it is necessary to lobby more as the groups working on population are approaching political parties to add population in their manifesto which should be replicated to protect forests. The former Senator added that it is imperative to sensitize the masses as it’s a matter of survival.
Arshad Samad Khan, Provincial Coordinator, World Bank said climate change is directly impacting our livelihoods and sustainability, whereas there is a need to probe the nexus between climate change-deforestation and national security. He said in the prevailing scenario food security is a bigger issue for Pakistan in terms of its exponential population increase as it will also have an impact on our water security leading to increased conflicts in the region on resources.
