Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy - IUCN

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y
text of the Biodiversity Action Plan. However, many
of the root causes can only be addressed through the
mechanisms described in other sections of the SPCS.
While the creation of a parks and protected areas
system will help protect wild vegetation communities,
problems such as deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion,
and water pollution also need to be addressed
in a systematic and coordinated manner.
Biodiversity Action Plan
The Government of Pakistan’s endorsement and ratification
of the international Convention on Biological
Diversity means that a national Biodiversity Action
Plan must be developed. Since implementation will
be at the provincial level, a Round Table of NWFP
biodiversity specialists will be established to oversee
the provincial aspects of the Action Plan which will
include the development of a parks and protected
areas system, based on representative ecosystems. It
will also include measures for biodiversity conservation
outside protected areas.
Parks & Protected Areas
There are no management plans in place for the
existing protected areas and hardly any check on
logging and poaching. Similarly, there are very few
scientific research studies and little public education
effort. The capacity and resources of the Wildlife
Department are also inadequate. Institutional
strengthening activities will be undertaken and a
potential protected areas plan will be developed
under the framework of the SPCS.
Public Participation
Most parks and protected areas agencies, when setting
out on new programmes, now emphasize public
involvement in all phases. To involve people, a
Sustainable Development Round Table will be established
which will function as a steering committee for
the entire provincial programme, and will provide an
equitable mandate to each interest group.
The scheme would involve the participation of
local village representatives, the union councils, religious
authorities, district administrators, rural support
programme personnel, the military, and adventure
travel companies.
xxiv SARHAD PROVINCIAL CONSERVATION STRATEGY
Work to protect biodiversity must be built on the
success of community participation approaches.
Parks and protected areas can be designed not only
to protect biodiversity, but also to complement
and support the needs and aspirations of local communities.
Co-management of parks and protected
areas will therefore be the guiding principle for the
S P C S .
Institution-strengthening
Utilizing the development of the biodiversity action
plan and the parks and protected areas system plan
as a training opportunity, a new institutional training
initiative will be implemented. Additional resources
will be sought to carry out this major training initiative
for the relevant government and non-government
agencies.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge
One of the best sources of biodiversity information is
the traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous
populations. But as society changes and urbanizes,
much of this information is lost. An active programme
to collect and use traditional and indigenous knowledge
will be carried out.
11
CULTURAL HERITAGE
The cultural heritage of a people has a bearing on
their identity and sense of belonging from which successive
generations can learn as part of a living tradition.
Heritage resources have both social and economic
value: they can stimulate tourism, business
enterprise, entrepreneurship, research, and academic
interest; they can provide visual and recreational
enjoyment for residents and visitors alike; and they
can serve a wide range of practical functions within
a community.
The NWFP possesses a unique cultural heritage.
The challenge that faces the province now is to use
these advantages while ensuring that the cultural
resources are conserved for future generations. Like
any resource or asset, they must be used wisely and
not be squandered—for once gone, they cannot be
replaced.