Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy - IUCN

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The dynamic and recurrent nature of the Sarhad
Provincial Conservation Strategy demands that strategic
planning not remain on hold while the strategy
undergoes implementation. Therefore, as in the past,
strategic planning will continue in parallel with implementation.
To this end, the monitoring mechanism
described later will provide feedback on the implementation
of different components of the SPCS. A section
of the Environmental Information Management
Centre, that is to be set up as a part of the communication
strategy, will be dedicated to a data base on
monitoring. This information will be reviewed on a
yearly basis to adjust the direction and pace of strategic
planning. This dynamic planning and implementation
process will eventually lead to the revision and
production of the SPCS 2000.
1 6 . 1
I N S T I T U T I O N A L P R O C E S S E S
E N V I R O N M E N TAL LEGISLATION
As already described, the enforcement of National
Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) and the integration
of environmental awareness in development
planning is contingent upon the proper implementation
of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Ordinance
1983 or the draft Pakistan Environmental Protection
Act, which the Government is considering as a
replacement for the Ordinance. In the past, gaps in
legislation and enforcement procedures have meant
that an effective environmental impact assessment
process could not be initiated. Considering these difficulties,
the Government of the North West Frontier
Province will enact a provincial environmental law that
will complement the Federal law. The provincial legislation
exercise will be completed during 1995-96.
Funds for the purpose are already available in the
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
(SDC) support package for the SPCS known as
Transition to Implementation.
This legislation is fundamental to the SPCS implementation
in many other ways. It will make the SPCS
a legal requirement as a dynamic and cyclical
process to be repeated every several years. Equally
important is the legal recognition of the large number
of community organizations. This will lend them the
strength and the mandate to share the responsibility
186 SARHAD PROVINCIAL CONSERVATION STRATEGY
for sustainable development. The law will also support
partnerships with non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and the private sector, as envisaged
under the SPCS. Most important, it will also help free
the NWFP from dependence on Federal initiatives,
and will allow creation of financing mechanisms for
SPCS implementation.
The enactment of an Environment Act for the
NWFP will be a major step forward, but it will not
obviate the need for reforming other legislation. A
review of forestry laws, and legislation dealing with
the urban environment must also be a priority. For
some agencies, such as Public Health Engineering,
that do not have any legislation, new laws may have
to be written and enacted.
1 6 . 2
GOVERNMENT DEPA RTMENTS
& ORGANIZAT I O N S
Although the SPCS belongs to the people, the
Government of NWFP, in consultation with the people
and in association with NGOs, has led the
process of its development. Thus, ensuring implementation
of the SPCS must also primarily be the
responsibility of the Government. This does not
mean that Government departments alone will
implement the SPCS. But they will ensure its implementation
by helping their own structures as well
as NGOs, the private sector, and the public at
large to perform their respective roles under the
SPCS. An outline action plan for the SPCS has
been developed that identifies the lead organizations
responsible for implementing different parts of
the SPCS. In the spirit of greater interdisciplinary
cooperation and public participation that characterized
SPCS development, however, these lead
organizations must seek active involvement of the
stakeholders, including counterpart public and private
organizations.
Most of the key Government departments related
to the environment already have some capacity to
undertake public participation and to deal with
environmental issues. But they need to be strengthened
considerably to enable them to fulfil their
responsibilities under the SPCS. It is suggested that