Director General World Wide Fund (WWF) Pakistan, Hammad Naqi Khan has requested Acting Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azam Khan not to approve a summary seeking de-notification of three national parks in the province.
In a message shared on social media platform X, former Twitter, DG WWF-Pakistan said Galliyat is declared an International Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and de-notification will go against it. It merits mention here that the Forest Department of KP through the Secretary of Environment has moved a summary to Chief Minister KP for cabinet approval, seeking the abolition of three national parks from the reserve forests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The three national parks, all from Hazara, include Kamal Ban, Malkandi in Mansehra district and Ayubia National Park in Abbottabad district.
Interestingly, the summary said that “Reserved Forests were declared to meet the technical requirements of timber in different sectors of development as it is a renewable resource and records clearly reflect the financial contribution, fulfillment of requirements and providing sustainable green jobs to the local inhabitants of the areas.
“Managing these areas as national parks is increasing the import bill of the poor economic country on the one hand as in the absence of local timber, imported timber accelerated and restraining the GDP contribution of the local timber production, which is being assessed as billions of rupees” it added.
“National parks were crucial to preserving biodiversity, protecting endangered species, and ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources,”.