Dilemmas in participatory forest management in northwest Pakistan: A livelihoods perspective

The natural forests of Pakistan are mostly located in the hilly areas of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP)1, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Northern Areas. These forests are vanishing at a rate that is one of highest2 in the world (FAO, 2007) and forest depletion is one of the most serious environmental concerns for Pakistan since it is accompanied by many other environmental and economic effects such as landslides, soil erosion, floods, soil degradation, displacement of people, etc. Ineffective, top-down and non-participatory forest management practice by the state Forest Departments is often reported as one of the main causes of forest depletion in NWFP. The depletion of forest resources has also led to an escalation of conflicts between various stakeholders. The international community and the state authorities of Pakistan responded to this, and many forestry projects and extension programmes were implemented in the upland areas of NWFP. The core intention of most of these interventions was to rehabilitate and protect forest areas, securing the downstream water supply, limiting the problems caused by erosion and silting-up, and alleviating rural poverty by involving local communities and motivating them to participate in forest management activities. Thus the main thrust of most interventions was 'participatory forest management'.