Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy - IUCN

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R E S P O N D I N G T O T H E I S S U E S
health care, rural water supply, sanitation, and population
control. Environmental concerns are being
addressed by implementation of Pakistan's high-profile
NCS and various counterpart provincial conservation
strategies. Several institutions—such as a privatization
commission, a Federal bureau of investment,
and an energy board—have been set up to
pursue the privatization of state enterprises and to
encourage additional private-sector investment. With
respect to greater public participation, the experience
of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme is
being replicated in a National Rural Support
Programme. The Sarhad Rural Support Corporation
is now operating in the NWFP, as is the Balochistan
Rural Support Programme. An increasing number of
donor projects and locally funded programmes are
also seeking to involve people in their activities. As
a result, a strong and expanding network of NGOs
is emerging.
The NWFP is in the lead in implementing the SAP
and the NCS in Pakistan. NCS implementation is
being pursued through this SPCS, which is based on
the objectives, priorities, and recommendations of the
NCS adapted to the needs, potentials, and aspirations
of the people of the NWFP. The basic objectives,
underlying the NCS are found in Box 3.1.
The new development paradigm is also characterized
by a culture of participation and privatization.
The process of partnering communities and NGOs is
relatively more advanced in the NWFP. This is mainly
THE NCS OBJECTIVES BOX 3.1
■ Use ecosystems for development in a way that
ensures their future viability and conservation.
■ Development should not lead to the depletion of natural
resources but instead rely on the interest of
nature’s capital as well as enhance the quantity and
quality of nature’s capital stock.
■ Non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels and
minerals are finite and must be used in a manner
that is sustainable. Fossil fuels should be exploited in
a way that extends the transition period long enough
for alternatives to become available. Biomass, for
example, can be substituted for fossil fuels.
■ Ensure that where resources are used as a repository
for waste removal, their assimilative capacities are
available to future users.
20 SARHAD PROVINCIAL CONSERVATION STRATEGY
because participation and self-help have been found
here for centuries. Moreover, the modern form of participatory
development in Pakistan was born in the
Daudzai Project near Peshawar, which has now been
replicated in most other projects and programmes.
There is a growing recognition in the Government
about the need and promise of partnerships with the
private sector and the growing number of NGOs,
although there are still doubts about the groups' competence,
skills, and motivation.
Giving the private sector and community groups a
lead role in projects is just beginning. The private
sector and NGOs are concerned about the transparency
of decision making in the Government, and
fear reversion to the older policies of oppression and
control. There is a need to establish a reliable
Government-NGO-private sector relationship that is
based on mutual trust and confidence.
As most NGOs depend on grants, they are sometimes
seen as opportunistic. Regardless of this skepticism,
the emerging culture of participation is encouraging.
With more freedom to operate, social and
market forces will themselves eliminate the unreliable
organizations.
From a sustainable development perspective, privatization
may improve the efficiency of industries,
production processes, and the quality of products. But
the impact on the environment is not clear. Alliances
may emerge that will resist environmental legislation.
On the other hand, privatization can also result in
greater investment in environmental technology and
generate more employment. Moreover, more public
funds will be available for environmental rehabilitation
and compensation for the potentially negative
effects of industrialization. The privatization policy
can also help in widening the tax base, particularly if
environmental taxation is considered. However,
given the modest levels of industrial activity in the
province, the impact of privatization is not yet very
pronounced in the NWFP.
Many contemporary development programmes in
the NWFP are part of the new paradigm of sustainable
development. But this must be seen as an evolving
process. For example, the emerging concept of
sustainable human development extends the original
ideas of sustainable development with a largely sin-