The timber mafia, in connivance with criminal elements in Swat and Malakand area, is cutting trees at "free will" to foster deforestation in the country. This was stated by the global vice president and regional councillor of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Javed Jabbar while briefing the media on key environmental issues of Pakistan in connection with World Environment Day here on Friday.
Quoting independent but reliable volunteers, he said that timber mafia has a free hand in these areas for quite a long time. "They were active during the control of extremist elements in these area and they are still active after the start of operation because the authorities are engaged in handling the internally displaced persons (IDPs) these days. They are taking the advantage of the situation", he added.
He said that according to the recommended criteria, Pakistan should have 25 percent forest cover but unfortunately forests constitute only 3 percent of its land and that too is being lost to timber mafia. He feared that deforestation will foster melting of glaciers up north, because it forests have the capacity to absorb the emission of high green house gases in the atmosphere.
Jabbar noted that 30 to 40 percent of irrigation water is being wasted in the country due to ignorance of growers. To a question, he said that IUCN has expertise, research studies and data to provide technical information on environment degradation and its costs. We can also help the government, industries and other stakeholders who are looking for initiating pollution control measures, he added.
He said IUCN is privileged to have the services of 10,000 scientists world-wide who conduct research and studies on environmental issues on voluntary basis. These scientists are members of IUCN's six scientific committee. We calculate the price, the governments and the nations have to pay for every development project, he opined. He said that IUCN was successful in stopping New Murree project, being persuaded by the Punjab government in 2006.
He pointed out that IUCN was in negotiation with FPCCI to motivate industrialists to adopt environment friendly production processes and methods in their factories. Similarly, we are pushing the federal government and provincial governments to implemented environment law and standards and save environment and preserve mangroves, he opined. Javed Jabbar said that the government has shown a willingness to implement environment laws and standards in the country.
He underlined the need for conducting a scientific survey about forests in Pakistan to quantify the area under forests and also about the level of deforestation. Responding to a question about the functioning of environment tribunals, he said that there was no case before these tribunals and people need to approach them against violations of environment laws and standards. He said that the governments can handle environmental degradation through mitigation and adaptation approaches.
Coastal ecosystem expert of IUCN, Tahir Qureshi pointed out that cutting of mangroves has severely affected the productivity of seafood in the exclusive economic zone of Pakistan. This area is the largest productivity zone of the world because of the presence of the world largest mangrove forests along the coastal areas of Pakistan, he added.
He observed that these forests have a direct benefit and indirect fringe advantages. Rafiul Haq and Afia Salam of IUCN, Zohra Aziz Kabani, Naila of Shehri also highlighted various environmental issues being faced by the country specially encroachment of open spaces and parks by the land mafia.