EU urged to review decision on Kohistan project

Communities constituted under Palas Conservation and Development Project (PCDP) have expressed serious concern over early termination of the project one year before its schedule date of December 2005. Talking to newsmen here on Saturday community leaders including Malik Haider (Nazim Union Council Upper Palas), Malik Mubeen (Nazim Union Council village Peech Bela), Malik Moseen (Nazim village Ber Sair) and a religious leader, Moulvi Abdul Ghani informed about the concerns expressed by communities on early winding up of PCDP.
The community leaders also requested to European Union and its member countries including Germany, Holland and Switzerland to review the decision about winding up of PCDP a year before its schedule time.
It merit few insertions here that the PCDP is a five year project launched in 2000 with an estimated cost of Rs 280 million with the objective of preserving bio-diversity in Palas valley in district Kohistan of NWFP.
The project was funded by EU, which decided to provide fund of Rs 4,800,000 Euros and remaining amount of Rs 3.8 million was to be provided by government of NWFP.
The project was executed by NWFP Wildlife Department with technical assistance from Bird Life, an NGO.
In the year 2004, the EU decided to wind up the project one year before its schedule time.
The community leaders pleaded that early termination of the project would shatter the confidence of people of the area and affect execution of any such programme in future.
The communities formed under PCDP requires at least another two years to reach a level of maturity which will make them capable to continue what they have been taught about conservation, the community leaders added.
They said abandoning any such activity in its middle stage has very negative impact and such would be the case in untimely ending of this project.
An official of wildlife department when contacted informed that Palas valley is a declared 'Hotspot of bio-diversity' in this region because about 500 types of plants, 160 species of birds and 29 varieties of wildlife are found here.
The PCDP, he said, was launched with the objective of removing poverty in the valley so that people's dependence on natural resources could be reduced.
He also requested the EU to review its decision and extend the project for another two years because 45 percent of the amount of the project is spent and half of the work is remaining.