Daily Times

Highly vulnerable to climate change, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is facing a looming threat of an ecological balance exacerbated by overpopulation, poverty, and unemployment.

As the KP grapples with rapid population growth owing to poverty and unemployment, therefore, its negative impact especially on forest, wildlife, fisheries, environment, agriculture, and ecological balance has become increasingly evident, especially in Kohistan, Chitral, Batagram, Dir, Shangla, and Swat.

With Pakistan’s population surging past 241 million this year and growing at an annual rate of about two percent, the pressure on forests, biodiversity, and wildlife is mounting, particularly in KP and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The strain is visible along major roads, such as the GT Road between Tarnab Peshawar and Azakhel Nowshera, where deforestation is rampant. The sight of cut timbers and uprooted tree trunks serves as a stark reminder of the high rate of forest loss. The 2015 National Forest Policy highlighted that Pakistan’s forest cover has dwindled to approximately five percent, with an annual loss of around 27,000 hectares. This deforestation is predominantly occurring in private and community-owned forests, particularly in KP and Gilgit-Baltistan. The timber mafia’s relentless exploitation of communal lands and privately owned forests further exacerbates the situation.

Similarly, agriculture in KP is suffering due to the rapid melting of glaciers, a consequence of rising temperatures and global warming.

Adversely impacted agriculture yield and quantity of water at outlets due to fast melting of glaciers in Chitral and Swat due to rising temperature, the national forest policy said that deforestation in watershed areas can trigger land degradation, loss of biodiversity and marine life besides making negative effects on wildlife and aquatic resources if solid measures were not taken.

In riparian and coastal areas, especially in KP, Sindh, and Balochistan, deforestation amplifies floods and facilitates seawater intrusion thus increasing chances of inflicting economic losses to the government kitty as evidenced by the devastating 2010 and 2022 floods. The flood had razed to ground several expensive hotels illegally constructed in the river Swat’s beds in 2022.

Gulzar Rehman, former Conservator of Forests KP while comparing the deforestation rate of Pakistan with the world said that every year around 10 million hectares of forest were deforested – equal to the area of Portugal in the world.

Around half of this high deforestation is counterbalanced by the re-growing of forests, which means that overall around five million hectares of green gold are lost per year in the globe.

Declaring overpopulation, poverty, and unnecessary tree logging are one of the major causes of deforestation in developing countries including Pakistan, he said that Pakistan’s population was only 37 million in 1947 soared to a record 223 million in 2022, 241 million in 2023 and if it continued growing with such high pace it is expected to touch 260.3 million in 2030 and 330.8 million by 2050, the resulting vanishing of the green gold, wildlife, and bees population.

In such a grim scenario, he said the challenges of food security would be further aggravated for highly populated countries like Pakistan and people would face hunger and starvation.

He said about 60 percent of forests were being used as firewood in the country, 25 percent for furniture, and 15 percent of trees are being lost due to urbanization and community-driven demands.

Gulzar warned that if we do not change our green sector policies and shift to the adaptation of alternative energy resources including solar, hydroelectric, biomass, and wind then there is every possibility of losing the existing forests in the next few decades besides witnessing frequent climate change’s disasters including floods.

“Deforestation is a national challenge and it is the right time to declare a ‘green emergency’ to conserve and protect the green gold for our future generation.”

He also suggested an agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan to control the smuggling of timber.

Wajid Ali Khan, former Minister for Environment and Forests claimed that thousands of trees planted under the Billions Tree Afforestation Project (BTAP) were prematurely cut in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which according to him was a violation of the agreement signed between KP forest department and farmers.

He further claimed that due to improper planning, dozens of billion trees project’s plantation sites in northern KP were swept away by the gushing flood water in 2022, inflecting huge financial losses to Govt kitty.

The spokesman of the KP Forest Department said that under the KP Forest Ordinance 2002, the Forest Force had been raised in KP with powers like the police to protect forests and conduct operations against the timber mafia.

KP forest force has been equipped with necessary weaponry, ammunition, vehicles, and a communication system with the power to shoot offenders and timber mafia in self-defense in case of violation of forest laws.

“The forest officers can arrest, detain, or take an accused into custody besides checking any vehicle, boat, railway wagon, or pack animal and seize the smuggled timber,” he said.

DFOs/RFOs can enter any depot, wood/saw cutting unit, building, or any premises to search and seize timber and arrest offenders besides holding an investigation, inquiry, and arrest any offender without any warrant.

The forest force’s jurisdiction has been extended to merged areas where check-posts were also established on national and regional highways and roads to curb timber smuggling.