Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy - IUCN

ing as a principal tool for sustainability analysis and
would be used in assessing the SPCS progress.
Some sample sustainability indices emerging from
the village-level consultations and from separate meetings
with women (conducted by women) and men
(conducted by men) are provided below. The list is
not complete, and more ideas will emerge from further
consultations on the SPCS as well as from the
workshop on sustainability expected in the Transition
to Implementation phase of the SPCS. This will be
organized to discuss the applicability of the IUCN
and IDRC model.
The initial village level indices included on human
well-being:
■ reduction in waterborne diseases;
■ improved, more varied foods;
■ reduction in tribal violence and the availability of
weapons;
■ improved methods for saving money;
■ more women in the work force;
■ a reduced birth rate;
■ more respect for the law;
■ reduced exodus to urban areas;
■ a better education;
■ environmental literacy;
■ new environmental laws, with better enforcement;
■ an increase in the development budget;
■ a land taxation system;
■ a measurable electricity grid system;
■ improved soil conservation; and
■ community biodiversity projects.
On ecosystem well-being:
■ proper implementation of the Social Action
Programme;
■ reforestation of reserved forest area;
■ cleanup of the Kabul River system;
■ recovery of endangered wildlife;
■ a parks and protected areas system;
■ reduced air pollution;
■ reduced fuel adulteration;
■ afforestation and farm forestry programme;
■ increase in the use of cultivable land; and
■ increase in food production.
These are not listed in order of priority. But by
having people define their own sustainable development
priorities, a series of additional consultations
A S S E S S I N G P R O G R E S S T O W A R D S S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y 18
and workshops and other participatory approaches
can later assign priorities, and progress can be measured.
This approach does lead to a concern about
the comparability of data among villages among officials
responsible for monitoring progress in programmes
such as the Social Action Programme, but
this can be overcome by adding relevant indicators
on to the list described by the villages.
1 8 . 3
SPCS: THE NEXT GENERAT I O N
In this report, it has been emphasized that this SPCS
1995-98 is the first generation of the strategy—in
effect, a ‘snapshot’ of the work in progress in 1995.
Some sections are more complete than others, for several
reasons. Some sectors have more data available
than others, some have more and better trained personnel,
and some have more experience and capacity
already developed. The lack of balance should be
redressed during the 1995-98 period, as the various
round tables are established, undertake their work
programmes, and begin to demonstrate substantive
ownership for their work. This does, however,
assume a period of relative political stability, which
would allow political leaders to become inevitably
familiar with the concept and content of the SPCS.
Also, as stated above, the three-year Transition to
Implementation phase allows the strengthening of the
PE&D Department—work that has been significantly
delayed due to the lack of staffing in the section. The
SPCS is designed, first and foremost, as a process-oriented,
institution-strengthening programme, so there
is more work to do in this area, dealing with many
structural reforms (such as environmental law reform).
Project-specific works, such as the Kabul River
research studies, will only proceed as time and
resources permit. As a matter of policy and design,
the actual implementation of environmental research
programmes and action plans must remain with the
implementing departments.
Ideally, by 1998 most of the round tables will be
in relatively similar condition, and physical environmental
rehabilitation or related priorities will be
under way. This may be optimistic, but the Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has
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