Further increasing the threat of deforestation is the fact that the new policy also allows illegally felled timber to be moved out of G-B. PHOTO: SHABBIR MIR
Civil society organisations in the federal capital are protesting the new timber movement policy for Diamer district in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and have decided to launch a campaign to push for its withdrawal.
The controversial policy, which was approved by former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf just a day before his term expired, has allowed the transportation of around four million cubic feet (cft) of timber from Diamer to others parts of Pakistan. Previously, timber movement was only allowed inside G-B, as a measure to curb deforestation.
Further increasing the threat of deforestation is the fact that the new policy also allows illegally felled timber to be moved out of G-B.
Environmentalists and civil society representatives believe timber movement is likely to increase illegal logging because of weak enforcement and monitoring mechanisms.
On Friday, environmentalists and representatives of civil society organisations such as the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Akhtar Hameed Khan Resource Centre (AHKRC), Bio-Resource Research Centre (BRC) and Sarhad Awami Forestry Ittehad (SAFI) discussed the negative fallout of timber movement approval in Islamabad.
Kanwar Muhammad Javed Iqbal, a senior researcher at SDPI, said there is no mechanism to precisely measure the four million cft of timber, which would allow local timber smugglers to exploit the policy and export fresh, illegally-cut timber.
Iqbal said the policy has also jeopardised Pakistan’s international commitments regarding deforestation.
The policy was notified by the G-B Council, which is headed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The council did not consult with the Climate Change Ministry before issuing the order. Environmentalists have alleged that some members of the council have vested interests in the illegal timber trade.
According to the policy, around 1.93 million cft of illegally cut timber would be sold in markets down country, provided the timber owners pay a fine to the forest authorities.
Chilas native Khan Muhammad Qureshi, who has been raising concerns about the Diamer policy in Islamabad since March, said the local timber mafia has already started illegal felling. He alleged that the local forest officers are conniving with the timber mafia to collect fines and start moving timber out of Diamer from May 1.
He said the youth in Chilas have risen up against the policy, but people in the area are unaware of the environmental effects of deforestation and a “sizeable number” are involved in the timber trade.
He said timber smugglers, which used to offer local communities just Rs25 per foot for illegally cut timber, are now offering Rs60 per foot to pacify them. The open-market price for the same timber is around Rs3,500, Qureshi claimed.
On April 8, Climate Change Secretary Muhammad Ali Gardezi told the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change that he will forward a summary to the cabinet secretary to request that the policy be withdrawn.
“Deforestation is not just a problem for the local Chilas community,” Qureshi said. “It has repercussions for the entire country.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 20th, 2013.
COMMENTS (15)
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After all this is a global issue of concern and I wonder how Pakistan can utitilize REDD+ international funding to save forests when there is no interest at the top political level.
Now the time is for Human Resources to Network for a cause
Only women who know the value of plants that care for the family income will rise to this call of the wild flora of the hills
I am hopeful that this time PML will do some thing good for forests as they did in the amended Forest Act of Punjab 2010
The Pakhtuns of KPK have by electing PTI proven that they are happy with a Party that gives value to environment and forests. If the great Khan can show that he can resolve this com[plex problem riddled by stories of corruption then all other provinces will be his fans
There are means to get bias free information by using satellite technology to see in real time terms how much forest is removed in the last one month. This will discern fact from fiction whether it was one million trees or 4 million when the permit was issued by the great prime minister on his last day in office
There is till too much that can be done by Punjab. A tax to repair roads that will get damaged from this massive movement of timber is what we need as short term remedy
Good news the province with most deforestation is expected to have PTI form government in the province. Are there hopes for PTI lovers at least tigers will not dance any more in Peshawar
I will count on the ex Minister Environment Maj Tahir Iqbal who has won from Chakwal constituency.
Now that PTI despite all that could be done is out lets ficus on PML N, big hopes on Amin Aslam Malik are now no more lets work on ground truth and prepare for a big flood in 2014 due to deforestation in uphill provinces
As election fever dwindles this issue will gain limelight
In the past the then government of NWFP imposed a tax on this type of timber. Same tax can be imposed to help the flood victims of Nowhera and DI Khan
Tribune has done a great environmental service; not only by bringing up issues of concern for our future generations but also for having kept them alive. The tempo for this case must be kept alight till it settles either way. Worst scenario (according to me) is that all trees are cut, more floods in the southern provinces, more carbon released, more soil erosion and nothing but landslides are left for the next generation. This also means there are no wild animals or butterflies, walnuts and pines no more. The Section officers who issue such notifications are more rich and those who advocate for saving forests are gagged as their price is paid.
Is there a best case scenario ? I do not thing there is one
Remove trees from the hills in the north and get floods in the south Sindh and Punjab. Is there any mechanism to consult all who are effected by the decisions taken by the Prime Minister in Islamabad?
Deforest or increase the area under forests is a political decision to be taken by the head of state. NGOs or forest officers' will does not matter at all. If the Prime Minister decides to deforest then the government must immediately allocate funds and call tenders for Disaster Management as floods are sure to come in 2013 and the coming years.