Insufficient technical, human and financial resources are hindering the Ministry of Environment in expanding the protected areas coverage. This was stated by Kamran Lashari, Federal Secretary, the Ministry of Environment at the inaugural ceremony of a two-day workshop on "Karakoram Trust Project for Central Karakoram National Park" here, on Wednesday.
Lashari said local communities find very little incentives for their services for participatory protection and management of protected areas. Talking to this scribe sources in the ministry said that a number of projects were finalised by the ministry but due to the absence of these facilities they were not implemented. However, slowly and gradually the ministry is overcoming the problem.
Pakistan is committed to ensuring environmental sustainability by achieving the target of forest cover from 4.8 percent to 6.0 percent and protected area coverage from 9.1 percent to 12.0 percent by 2015. "Pakistan has achieved the target of protected areas in 2008 as there are 22 designated national parks including Central Karakoram Park," Lashari added.
He said the government is pursuing a long-term programme under the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and particularly Programme of Work for Protected Areas (PoWPA). He informed the participants that Pakistan's law on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is under consultation. Its promulgation will empower local communities for custodianship and use of genetic resources of protected areas.
He said the ministry has successfully implemented Mountain Areas Conservation Project (MACP) with the support of GEF and UNDP. The IUCN has been our key partner in providing technical assistance for MACP. The MQACP is a trend-setter and received world-wide recognition. Now Government has extended Programme for Mountain Areas Conservation (PMAC) using its own resources.
Citing another example of Protected Areas Management Project, Lashari said this project under implementation with the assistance of GEF/World Bank, PMAP covers three national parks including Machhiara National Park (AJK) and Chitral Gol National Park (NWFP).
Lashari said there is need to share outcomes of previous Italian projects such as Social, Economic and Environment Development Project (SEED) and Hindu-Kush Karakoram Himalaya (HKKH) Project with all stakeholders to avoid duplication and to improve provisions of Karakoram Trust Project.
Explaining the significance of central Karakoram region, Lashari said that it's a high mountain area and endowed with rich biodiversity, marvellous landscapes and diverse natural and human resources.
Emily Massawa, from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) gave presentation on the background of the Karakoram Trust Project. He said the objective of the project is to improve the quality of life of local communities and the conservation of environment, architectural and cultural heritage and enhance capacity of local communities and institutions to adapt to climate change in the central Karakoram. Talking to Business Recorder a senior official of the ministry said that currently the Karakoram project is in the initial stages so it is difficult to tell the actual cost of the project.