National Dialogue Urges Urgent Reforms to Protect Depleting Green Cover in KP

Green cover in KP has once again emerged as a critical national concern. In a high-level national consultation titled “From Challenges to Action: Safeguarding Pakistan’s Natural Wealth for Climate Security and Sustainable Prosperity,” experts, policymakers, and civil society leaders rang alarm bells over Pakistan’s accelerating deforestation crisis.

The consultation, organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and the Sustainable Conservation Network (SCN) in Islamabad, warned that dwindling forests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) threaten not only biodiversity but also Pakistan’s climate security and long-term prosperity.

Climate Crisis and Forest Depletion in Pakistan

Chairman of SDPI’s Board of Governors, Ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel, opened the session by stressing the direct link between the loss of forest cover and worsening floods. Pakistan has faced devastating floods almost every year since 2010, and experts believe unchecked deforestation in KP is aggravating these disasters.

“Without restoring the green cover in KP, the province’s fragile ecosystem will collapse,” Kakakhel warned.

Expert Warnings: From Floods to Food Security

Former HEC Chairman and SDPI founder Dr. Tariq Banuri pointed out that the problem lies not in legislation but in institutional weakness. “We are still grappling with the same challenges we identified 30 years ago,” he said, stressing that forest departments lack autonomy and professional integrity.

Similarly, Shahid Zaman, Secretary of the KP Forests and Wildlife Department, acknowledged that the recent torrential rains and floods were worsened by unchecked habitat loss. He warned that erratic weather will continue to disrupt agriculture and food security unless communities, civil society, and government work together.

Institutional Weakness: A Barrier to Reform

Despite programs like the Billion Tree Tsunami and the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, experts stressed that Pakistan’s green cover in KP is still shrinking.

According to Muhammad Rafiq, former IUCN Director, independent data from the World Bank, FAO, and Global Forest Watch contradicts official claims of increasing forest cover. He highlighted that Sindh lost 75% of its forested areas as revealed before the Supreme Court in 2017.

Former WAPDA Chairman Shakeel Durrani noted that government institutions fail during disasters, with floods in Buner, Mingora, and Kalam showing no effective district management. He called for a land-use regulatory authority and enforcement of laws like the KP Protection of Rivers Act, 2002.

KP’s Government Initiatives and Challenges

Shahid Zaman outlined steps taken by KP’s government, including:

• Community-based range management

• Accountability in timber harvesting

• Ban on agricultural land conversion for commercial use

• Rs 5.4 billion allocation for wetland development in southern KP

• Introduction of firefighting equipment & monitoring technology

Yet, he admitted that 30% of KP’s forests remain under threat from illegal logging—often backed by powerful mafias.

Civil Society and Legal Perspectives

Civil society voices urged systemic reforms. Dr. Adil Zareef, Convener of SCN, recalled KP’s conservation leadership through the Serhad Conservation Network in 2001, but warned of elite capture weakening climate initiatives.

Legal expert Advocate Ali Gohar Durrani added that environmental tribunals in Lahore and Peshawar lost effectiveness after the 26th Constitutional Amendment, leaving forest-related cases without proper adjudication.

Parliamentary Voices and Regional Lessons

Parliamentarians also weighed in. MNA Awais Haider Jhakhar highlighted Pakistan’s rising temperature—1.5°C above the global average—and warned of rapidly melting glaciers. He suggested adopting Bangladesh’s solar microgrid model and scaling up electric vehicles and hydrogen energy.

Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro condemned weak enforcement, noting timber mafia activities in KP, AJK, and GB remain unchecked despite repeated parliamentary summons.

Women, Youth, and Inclusive Climate Action

Climate and Water Specialist Dr. Saima Hashim warned against financial mismanagement in climate projects and urged women’s inclusion as forest stewards. She emphasized aligning forest, finance, and gender policies to build resilient systems.

Experts also stressed engaging youth-led community groups to restore the green cover in KP, as seen in successful grassroots campaigns across Gilgit-Baltistan.

Urgent Call for Institutional Autonomy

In his concluding remarks, Dr. Banuri reiterated that no reform will succeed without autonomous, professional, and independent forest departments. He stressed protecting tenure, service structures, and leadership within forest institutions.

“Without institutional reform, no legal amendment will deliver results,” he warned.

Conclusion: From Dialogue to Action

The national dialogue made one fact abundantly clear: protecting the green cover in KP is not just an environmental issue, but a matter of national climate security, food resilience, and disaster preparedness.

The way forward lies in:

1. Strengthening forest departments with autonomy and transparency

2. Enforcing land-use regulations to curb commercial encroachments

3. Mobilizing civil society, women, and youth as stewards of nature

4. Integrating climate governance with parliamentary accountability

5. Adopting innovative regional models like Bangladesh’s solar microgrids

Without urgent legal, policy, and governance reforms, Pakistan risks irreversible ecological loss. But with collective action, KP can once again become a pioneer in sustainable conservation.

Internal Links :

• Pakistan’s Climate Vulnerability

• National Reforestation Campaign

External Links :

• Global Forest Watch

• World Bank on Pakistan’s Forests