GILGIT:
The Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) government on Friday lifted a decade-old ban on transportation of thousands of feet of timber rotting in Diamer district. “The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mehdi Shah at his office,” the G-B Forests and Wildlife Adviser Aftab Haider told journalists. He said that the cabinet also approved the creation of the post of G-B Chief Conservator Forests.
“The total timber lying in the valley is four million cubic feet of which two million cubic feet has been felled legally,” he said, adding that with the lifting of the ban, the legal timber would be allowed to be transported out of the G-B while transportation of illegal timber would be confined to G-B.
In an attempt to protect the forest reserves in the valley, the government in early 2000 placed a ban on the chopping of trees. The ban led to freezing of movement of the already chopped timber stock piled on either sides of the Karakoram Highway.
“It was a long-standing demand of the locals and we are pleased to come up to their expectations,” said the adviser who was accompanied by lawmakers from Diamer, including Minister for Works Bashir Ahmed, Health minister Gulbar Khan, Education minister Ali Madad Sher and Molana Sarwar.
Ahmed termed the lifting of the ban a step towards economic revolution in not only the Diamer valley but also in G-B. “Unlike the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, all the people of the Diamer valley have share in the timber so all would benefit from it,” he said.
Ahmed added the cabinet has also approved “forest working plan” that would be sent to the prime minister for approval. Under the Accession Deed signed in 1953 by Diamer community with Pakistan, the Diamer forests were private forests, with ownership rights belonging to the community. If the plan gets approval, the cutting of timber would become legal under certain conditions and thus stop illegal deforestation.
Health Minister Gulbar Khan said that the timber worth billions of rupees would have perished had the ban not lifted as it was lying under open sky and exposed to sun heat and rains.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2012.
COMMENTS (14)
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As expected Dr Helga has analyzed it well but what else can be done except comments in a medium hardly any one reads, I doubt if the newspaper publishes this stuff in hard copies
It is amazing, since many years now yearly cries are aired about the watershortage in Pakistan.
At no time has any thought been given to the role deforestation plays in the rising water problems.
During the days of the British Raj, deforestation was taken very seriously, as any log which did not have the number of the owner and the recipient was confiscated. natural growth was thus protected. Today donor countries are approached with begging bowls to provide support to the afforestation program's. Since years international reports have warned the country of the impeding water crisis in, but invariable Pakistan puts the blame on Global Climate.
Years ago while addressing a local council meeting in Chilas, I was surprised how well versed they were in quoting Greenhouse Effect and GCC as the major cause of their water problem. questioning them of their childhood memories, gushing springs and dense forests were quoted. Despite the dawning of the importance of a healthy forest cover, illegal cutting continues. Wonder if the time has come to introduce death sentences on anyone behind illegal felling of forest cover?
Thanks to Tribune for hosting this rich discussion. Then what ? We need to do something to reach a solution or at least a step to understanding the problem before thinking of solutions. Forest land tenure system in Pakistan is quite complex and not so simple as in tropical countries and we need to find local solutions no one will bring ready-made solutions
Everyone comes up with his own style of criticism and one sided suggestions. Best critics are those who come up with solutions first.
Where are the Environment champions like WWF and IUCN who have big offices and bigger names? Maybe the Parliamentary committees can do something good for the environment and the people but with free prior informed consent
Climate change, Going green sounds very good for those who have plenty of resources to enjoy life. Real owner do get 50% of the proceeds without any efforts where the rest of 50% has to expenses, government taxes and middle man profit. Don't forget every nation has demand for timber and if you say to ban it entirely then its far from practice ,as it will indefinitely led people to illegal cutting. Instead of banning it they should have proper plan to wok on and maintaining the forest via planting trees, or government should charge the middle man for this and take care of re plantation.
But the story is not that simple. The real owners get nothing while the middle men who influence imposition and lifting of ban are the those who make billions of profits. Is there a way to see if the benefit of the profit goes to the real owners? This is the tenth ban that is lifted and the next step is predictable: 50 million more trees will be cut and stored waiting for the next ban to be lifted. We are told that there are better ways to earn profits while retaining the trees through the climate change mechanism called REDD. So why not give due share of profits to the real owners and give them the choice of getting money by not cutting trees.
This is a wise decision as i suppose people have had their part of lesson over decade, not to rely on one source of income.So probably they will make their way to alternative investment from these proceeds. Imposing ban has deteriorated forest condition by illegal means of cutting and transporting resulting in absolute loss for Government and Local people
Who is the seller and who is the buyer of this timber, under Public Procurement Regulations PPRA both sellers and purchasers must be made public. We want to know that those who approved this deal are having no vested interest. Otherwise this is a case of public interest Ali
Long Live the 18th Amendment ! While India made a constitutional amendment and brought forestry into the Concurrent List we abolished the list that did not include forestry . Does the Federal Government has any locus standi to intervene ?
IS this process really transparent? has some third party undertaken assessment that the timber is really 4 million cubic feet there is a rumour that it is just 5 lac feet and that too all illegal? Where are the NGOs? who is to ensure that the rightful owners the community members are getting a fair share of the hefty profits that is in billions
Concerned citizen
The price difference of this timber with the market in down country is 1:1000 this makes everything clear. this is not the first time that illegal timber is released as a one time waiver , every time it is a one time waiver and then new illegal cut timber accumulates and then a series of bribes follow and so the story will go on till the last tree in the area is cut. The problem is very simple: the grandparents of the local people who own these trees have sold the tree rights to the timber Mafia at a shoestring. Now it is the mafia that is manoeuvring all this process of legalising the illegal timber. No wonder the rulers who are approving this process are also the purchasers of this timber and are to get a windfall profit. And then more timber will be cut for the next Minister to approve. I understand that the world community has developed a process called REDD under which the local owners are paid cash for not cutting the trees. Why REDD is not working in this area only those in poser can tell
I am surprise to see the GB government has approved it,4 million cubic feet of wood already on the road and with this approval more trees will be cut in months, short sighted so called greedy leaders will benefit from it but get ready for more disasters in the shape of floods and landslides in coming years.