Deforestation in Gilgit-Baltistan, a
green annihilation or storm in a teacup
Rizwan Karim
Volunteer at
WWF-Gilgit Conservation & Information Centre,
Jutial, Gilgit
According to WWF (World wide Fund for Nature) definition, deforestation is “an
induced process whereby natural forests are cleared through logging and/or burning,
either to use the timber or to replace the area for alternative uses. The alternative uses
have been divided into two categories viz, one is conversion of forests into
agricultural lands, commercial areas, roads and other infrastructure; second is
degradation of forests by natural events, illegal and unsustainable harvesting and
collection of timber and fuel wood. This condition has generated an intensified
upsetting of climate attributes in particular for temperature and precipitation, bringing
about severe disturbances in form of floods, landslides, GLOF’s, storms etc.
In the very times, a thriving nation is weighed by its forest reserves/ resources.
Many countries in this context are known for their forestry related economies and
GDP earnings worldwide. We for instance can take example of Solomon Islands and
Burundi, which have the highest forestry sector generated GDP share of 14.13 % and
9.04% respectively in 2011.
Source: WWF (http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_forests/deforestation/);
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) working paper “Contribution of
the forestry sector to national economies, 1990-2006”.
Many of us probably have been brain fed in graduate schooling that Pakistan
is a forest resource deficient country with discrediting figures of forest cover (even
not a single figure fluctuating above 7 %). It hereby becomes an onus for heartrendered masses to bring forth the definite situation forth rather than declaring it an
OK. According to Forestry Statistics of Pakistan 2010, nearly 5.36 % of its total land
mass is covered by forests of its total land with 15.7(GNP) % 0.2 (GDP) share on
average per annum. Likewise, by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) statistics
for 2009, the forest cover in Pakistan is hardly touching figures of 6 %, with 2 %
natural forest, whereas 4% of the country’s land mass is covered by plantations,
planted in gardens, cities, along rivers, canals, roadsides and agricultural lands.
Source: Forestry Statistics of Pakistan (2010) Federal Bureau of Statistics, Islamabad;
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)
The Federally administrated area of Gilgit-Baltistan encompasses an area of
70, 40000 hectares, with diverse topo-geography mostly covered by mountains and
water sinks and sources (lakes, glaciers and rivers) and irrigated marginal lands.
Forest cover in Gilgit-Baltistan in a rough estimate is 950000 hectares (13.4 %) of its
total area with province wise national forest cover share of estimated 9 %. These
forests are under decline and deterioration with the passage of time, due to poor
management, less research and in particular due to anthropogenic disturbances, with
the primary doings of deforestation and illegal poaching of associated resources.
Source: Forestry Statistics of Pakistan (2010) Federal Bureau of Statistics, Islamabad;
National Forest & Rangelands Resource Assessment Study, GOP, Ministry
of Environment, and Pakistan Forest Institute 2004.
Aggravation of deforestation on global scale can be imagined by the figures
that nearly 12-15 million hectares of forest are lost each year, the equivalent of 36
football fields per minute, according to WWF. According to FAO statistics
deforestation rate in Pakistan is 0.2 per cent to 0.5 per cent annually, highest in the
world, accounting a 4-6 % decline in wood biomass per annum, that has reduced the
forest cover of the country from 18 percent to only 2.5 percent, thus increasing several
risks including landslides, flash floods and threatening wildlife habitat and glaciers.
The deforestation dilemma aftermath has prompted climate changes, by bringing
Pakistan in ranking to 12th number among those nations that are negatively affected
by global climate change worldwide. According to sources, on a rough estimate, the
Gilgit- Baltistan region stomachs deforestation rate of about 8000 ha per annum,
placing G-B region the second area severely being deforested province after KPK.
Source: Forestry Statistics of Pakistan (2010) Federal Bureau of Statistics, Islamabad;
Ahmed, M. and S.S. Shaukat. 2012. A Text Book of Vegetation Ecology.
Abrar Sons, New Urdu Bazar Karachi, Pakistan. pp.396.
The delimah of deforestation is on the advancement currently with reassurance
of different go-betweens involved like timber mafia, political and government
characters, social dynamics and many more. The role of such individual elements is
solidified with cooperation between these go-betweens, thus making delimah more
throbbing. The government body in developed countries is sought as the responsible
authority in normalization or reduction of any dilemma; natural or induced, while in
ours case, sincerity of governments about Pakistan’s natural resources protection in
general and deforestation in particular can be judged from the former prime minister
Raja Pervez Ashraf’s mirthful act of benevolence on March 15, 2013, a day before the
end of his government’s tenure, he allowed transportation of timber (legally cut but
illegally cut timber too) from the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan to Punjab and
other parts of country without any huddle with the local government and rebuffing the
needs of local population. This act of removal of ban on movement of timber, which
was in effect since the 1993, resulted in stern deforestation by the timber mafia,
resulting in more temperature and precipitation imbalance bringing severe
environmental vulnerabilities like floods, landslides, siltation of main water
reservoirs, retreating of glaciers etc.
The intensity of situation can be further revealed by the facts published in The
Express Tribune, April 8th, 2013 article; referencing Mr. Muhammad Khan Qureshi,
an anti-deforestation activist in District Diamer reveals “Timber smugglers only pay
around Rs25 per cubic foot to the local forest owners and then go and sell the same
timber for anywhere between Rs2, 000 to Rs3, 000 per cubic foot. The smugglers
connive with the local forest guards to register the illegal timber in official records”.
He further revealed that due to March 15th 2013 havoc act of democratic government
steered transportation of nearly 1.6 million cubic feet illegally harvested timber out of
G-B with imposition of minimal charges on volume basis for highly economic timber
species. The charges vary from Rs 570 per cubic foot for fir trees to Rs 700 per cubic
foot for deodar (Diar) trees. However the minimal dues set for taking timber out of
GB aren’t be receivable due an another grievous fact that the forest guards are already
in the pockets of influential timber smugglers in G-B and down, which would make it
difficult to monitor timber leaving G-B. Respective governments seem to have utterly
surrendered to the timber mafia that is primarily responsible for inciting conditions
resulting in an obvious increase in occurrence of natural disasters like floods, cold
spells, landslides, GLOFs and drought. Hereby the facts and new wits “in” are quite
enough to show the real looks against the self-crafted images of development
enthusiasts.
Source: Deforestation continues to be a major concern in Gilgit-Baltistan, Article
Published in The Express Tribune, April 8th, 2013.
While the green massacre was being carried out with pace, in the meantime,
general population of G-B was throbbing out of sufferings given by the events like the
devastating floods of 2010, Attabad and Hussainabad landslide (Central Hunza) and
GLOFs at Passu, Shimshal and Ghulkin village in upper Hunza; with a consideration
that all the above events are impacts of imbalance in climate over years mainly
abetted by deforestation. The worst scenario is yet to come, as temperatures in the
adjacent areas of Karakorum ranges is increasing by 0.5 0C per decade, thus making
the region more susceptible to chances of catastrophes. This climate imbalance will
disturb the water supply and quantity in rivers and reservoirs due to acute shortage
and rapid melting of glaciers, thus severely effecting agriculture sector, water
dependent industries and drinking water systems, the most with shocking results.
Moreover, climate change will intensely influence species distribution and, thus,
misbalancing the structure and function of ecosystems.
Source: Gilgit-Baltistan and global climate change, Article Published in PAMIR TIMES, Apr
18,
2011.
Therefore, before the situation gets worse, it is imperative for every
responsible state actors; provincial and federal government, responsible public and
private organizations and community representatives to bend over backwards for
eliminating the outbreaks of deforestation, by sustainable utilization, conserving and
protecting the natural resources for the next generations.