Draft Pakistan NBSAP - International Union for...

Draft Pakistan NBSAP

Pakistan

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Government of Pakistan

2015

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Foreword

Government of PakistanMinistry of Climate Change

Pakistan is bestowed with a wide variety of ecosystems and habitats ranging of Arabian Sea in the south to the second highest peak in the world – K-2. The diverse topography and climatic conditions manifests itself in a wide range of habitats and species many of which are of global biodiversity significance. Four ecosystems of Pakistan are included in the Global 200 most biologically outstanding ecoregions in the world. Unfortunately except for agricultural lands, more than 90 percent of remaining landscape has no land use plan and no one is taking care of the ecological health of these lands. Vast majority of Pakistan’s natural habitats, except those under management of State agencies are generally degraded and have lost much of their productivity.

The worsening health of ecosystems and diminishing ecosystem service are a cause of alarm as it is not only threat to the livelihoods of the poor and marginalized communities who depend on these resources for forage, fuelwood, and other natural products but also for agriculture and hydropower by reducing useful life of dams. It is neither feasible nor desirable to for government to manage vast areas of natural habits, and therefore, institutions and capacity of local communities must be strengthened and actively involved in sustainable management of these lands.

Pakistan is among the 10th most vulnerable country to climate change, and colossal damage of life and property from recent floods are still fresh in our memories. Pakistan is home to a large number of wild relatives of crops which together with other threatened species of flora and fauna are most at risk of extinction due to changes in habitat conditions and therefore we need to establish and effectively manage representative areas of all of our natural habitats covering land water and sea. In addition to loss of nature’s bounty, there has been a lot of erosion of varieties of crops and breeds farm animals due to the introduction of high yielding crop varieties.

Although high yielding varieties have helped the country feed rapidly growing population, yet it has been at a high cost – high incidence of cancer and other diseases due to high use of agrochemicals. We need to preserve our traditional crop varieties and breeds of farms animals both as a coping strategy against crop failures under changing climate and for improving vigor breeding improved varieties and breeds. In addition, we need to develop, test and promote sustainable agricultural practices to improve water use efficiency, and minimal use of environment friendly agro-chemicals.

Pakistan has always shown strong political commitment to the cause of environment and sustainable development. Pakistan prepared its National Conservation Strategy in 1992 even before coming in force of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Not only that, similar strategies were prepared in provinces and even in many districts. Pakistan has been at the forefront of joining the global community in signing and ratifying environment related conventions. Unfortunately, the financial limitations far exceeded the political will of the country, and the country was unable to make satisfactory progress on the Biodiversity Action Plan of 2000.

The revision process for the National Biodiversity Strategy has taken stock of the situation, and provided a new vision, objectives, strategies and targets to meet the conservation challenges of the 21st century, and make significant contribution to achieving the CBD strategic objectives and achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. 2010-2010. I am especially pleased with the process followed for the preparation of NBSAP. Active participation of the provinces who will be major players for its implementation and open and transparent process will ensure buy in of the stakeholders. . While Ministry of Climate Change will have a central role in coordination and providing leadership for its implementation, active participation of all other Ministries, provincial governments, and stakeholders will be essential for meeting the objectives of NBSAP. While the government will try its best to increase allocations for biodiversity, the affluent nations and multilaterals will have to come forward to meet the full financial needs of the NBSAP.

March 31, 2015 Minister for Climate Change

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Acknowledgement

The stakeholders and key resource persons who contributed to the revision of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan are too many to mention individually. The team for drafting of the NBSAP gratefully acknowledges the support and cooperation of all those who made spared useful time to participate in consultative meetings, group discussions, individual meetings and review of the draft. Our special thanks are due to the Sayed Mahmood Nasir, Inspector General of Forests for providing guidance during the process and made useful technical inputs.

Special thanks are due to senior policy makers and planners in the provinces, civil society organizations, and professionals who took keen interest in the provincial and regional consultations. The provincial offices of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and provincial NBSAP facilitators played a key role in organizing consultations and meetings. IUCN office in Islamabad played pivotal role in providing logistics support for travel and meetings in Islamabad.

The revision of NBSAP would not have been possible without the financial support of the Global Environment Facility, administrative support of the Ministry of Climate Change and personal interest of the Director Biodiversity in making it all happen.

NBSAP TEAM

Javed Ahmed, Biodiversity Consultant, IUCN Pakistan

Inam Ullah Khan, NRM Expert, IUCN Pakistan

Naeem Ashraf, Director Biodiversity, Ministry of Climate Change

Mailk Ghulam Sarwar, Coordinator NBSAP, Ministry of Climate Change

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CONTENTSForeword.......................................................................................................................................................................... i

Acknowledgement........................................................................................................................................................... ii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................................................ vi

I. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................... 2

1. Context.................................................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Values of biodiversity and ecosystem services and their contribution to human well-being...................................2

3. Analysis of the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss...............................................................................3

3. 1. Population Growth..........................................................................................................................................3

3. 2. Land Use - Degradation and Desertification...................................................................................................4

3. 3. Deforestation.................................................................................................................................................5

3. 5. Grazing...........................................................................................................................................................6

3. 6. Unsustainable Fishing....................................................................................................................................6

3. 7. Promotion of High Yielding Varieties & Exotic Breeds...................................................................................6

3. 8. Heavy Use of Agrochemicals.........................................................................................................................7

3. 9. Pollution..........................................................................................................................................................7

3. 10. Global Climate Change................................................................................................................................8

4. National constitutional, legal and institutional framework.......................................................................................8

4.1. Biodiversity Legal Framework.........................................................................................................................8

4. 2. Provincial Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Laws...........................................................................................9

4. 3. Biodiversity Policy Framework.......................................................................................................................9

4. 4. Poverty Reduction Strategies.......................................................................................................................10

4. 5. Institutional Framework................................................................................................................................10

5. Lessons learned from the earlier NBSAP(s) and the process of developing the updated NBSAP.......................11

5.1. Progress on Implementation of Biodiversity Action Plan 2000......................................................................11

5. 2. Biodiversity Scenarios.................................................................................................................................11

5.3. Processes for development of BAP and NBSAP...........................................................................................12

II. NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN................................................................................14

6. Vision.................................................................................................................................................................... 14

7. Goals..................................................................................................................................................................... 14

8. Objectives.............................................................................................................................................................14

9. Strategies and Actions..........................................................................................................................................14

10. Biodiversity Awareness.......................................................................................................................................14

10. 1 Context........................................................................................................................................................14

10. 2. Issues and Trends......................................................................................................................................15

10. 3. Strategies...................................................................................................................................................16

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10. 4. Actions........................................................................................................................................................16

The following measures are proposed to translate the strategies into actions:....................................................16

11. Gender, Poverty and Biodiversity Nexus............................................................................................................16

11. 1. Context.......................................................................................................................................................16


12. Mainstreaming Biodiversity in National Planning and Policy Processes............................................................17

12. 1. Context.......................................................................................................................................................17


12. 3. Strategies...................................................................................................................................................18

12. 4. Action..........................................................................................................................................................18

13. Terrestrial Ecosystems.......................................................................................................................................18

13. 1. Context.......................................................................................................................................................18

13. 2. Issues and Trends.....................................................................................................................................19

13. 3. Strategies...................................................................................................................................................20

13. 4. Actions.......................................................................................................................................................20

14. Forest Ecosystems............................................................................................................................................20

14. 1. Context.......................................................................................................................................................20

14. 2. Issue and Trends........................................................................................................................................21

14. 3. Strategies...................................................................................................................................................22

14. 4. Action.........................................................................................................................................................23

15. Inland and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems...........................................................................................................23

15.1. Context........................................................................................................................................................23

15. 2. Issue and Trends.......................................................................................................................................25

15. 3. Strategies...................................................................................................................................................26

15. 4. Actions........................................................................................................................................................26

16. Coastal and Marine Ecosystems.......................................................................................................................27

16. 1. Context......................................................................................................................................................27

16. 2. Issues and Trends.....................................................................................................................................28

16. 3. Strategies...................................................................................................................................................29

16. 4. Actions........................................................................................................................................................29

17. Sustainable Agriculture and Agrobiodiversity.....................................................................................................30

17. 1. Context......................................................................................................................................................30


17. 3. Strategies...................................................................................................................................................32

17. 4. Actions........................................................................................................................................................32

18. Environmental Protection...................................................................................................................................33

18. 1. Strategies and Actions...............................................................................................................................33

III. IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING, AND EVALUATION.......................................................................................34

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19. Introduction........................................................................................................................................................34

20. Implementation of NBSAP..................................................................................................................................34

21. Communication and Outreach Strategy..............................................................................................................34

22. Plan for Resource Mobilization...........................................................................................................................35

23. National Coordination Mechanisms....................................................................................................................35

24. Clearing-House Mechanism................................................................................................................................35

25. Monitoring and Evaluation.................................................................................................................................36

IV. REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................................... 37

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Terrestrial ecosystems of Pakistan included in Global 200 Eco-Regions.......................................................21Table 2. The change in area of different forest types 1992-2004.................................................................................23Table 3. Wetland ecosystems of Pakistan included in Global 200 Eco-regions...........................................................26

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Map of Pakistan. (Source: http://geology.com/world/pakistan-satellite-image.shtml).....................................5Figure 2. Change in forest cover 1990 - 2010................................................................................................................7Figure 3. Numbers of goat, sheep, and camel 1990 - 2014...........................................................................................8Figure 4. Population growth in Pakistan 1960 - 2010...................................................................................................11Figure 5. Overall national PSDP and allocation for the Climate Change Division.........................................................12Figure 6. Progress on the implementation of Biodiversity Action Plan 2000.................................................................15Figure 7. Level of various threats in different forest types.............................................................................................24Figure 8. Map of Pakistan showing major wetlands.....................................................................................................27Figure 9. Map showing Arabian Sea.............................................................................................................................29

LIST OF ANNEXURES

Annexure 1. Matrix showing Aichi Biodiversity Targets and National Actioms..............................................................35Annexure 2. Lists of Threatened Species of Fauna.....................................................................................................44Annexure 3. List of Acronyms and Abbreviations.........................................................................................................45

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. INTRODUCTION

1. Context

Pakistan, like many other countries in the world is losing its rich biodiversity under growing anthropogenic pressures. Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is not only a national need but also a global obligation under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The government in consultation with stakeholders prepared a Biodiversity Action Plan in 2000, however its implementation has remained slow due to weak institutional framework. Pakistan was no different from rest of the world, as a global review of Biodiversity in 2010 revealed that biodiversity was continuing to be lost and ecosystems were degrading undermining human well-being. Against this background, Conference of the Parties to CBD held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010, adopted a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 with 20 targets - “Aichi Biodiversity Targets.” The revised Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is intended to stem the loss of biodiversity in Pakistan, restore ecosystem goods and services, and promote sustainable use for wellbeing of the present and future generations. The stakeholders were consulted at all stages of process for preparation the BSAP, starting from the process road map, expert consultations, and sharing of the draft.

The provincial governments and other federating units will be implementing the NBSAP in the field; therefore their buy-in of the strategies and actions was of prime importance in the process. In order to create greater ownership of the NBSAP at provincial and regional levels, consultative meetings with stakeholders were organized in Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit. In addition, meetings were also held with policy makers and planners in the provinces and regions. The provinces and other federating units agreed to prepare their own Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans. The NBSAP Team provided technical to the provinces for preparation of sub-national strategies and actions plans. The NBSAP is a sum total of provincial and regional biodiversity strategies and action plans plus some national level actions.

2. Causes and Consequences of Biodiversity Loss

Rapid growth of population and corresponding increase on natural resources for fuelwood, timber, forage, non-timber forest products, trade in wild fauna, and expanding agriculture on marginal lands has not only caused land degradation, desertification, loss of habitat, and endangering survival of many species in the wild. Water erosion, wind erosion, depletion of soil fertility, water logging, salinity, and deforestation, over grazing are major causes of land degradation. The resource degradation is further exacerbated due to scarcity of water, frequent droughts and mismanagement of land. . More than 60 percent area of the country is degraded due to the causes mentioned above. Habitat fragmentation and loss poses a serious threat to biodiversity in all biomes, and consequently many populations of species are confined to isolated small pockets. Habitat loss coupled with over exploitation of selected species for trade, food and sport have resulted in extinction of some species from the wild, and many more are threatened with extinction. Over harvesting of fisheries resources, use of destructive fishing gear, and use of other destructive practices are the major cause for loss of fish biodiversity. In addition, incidental take of marine turtles by commercial shrimp trawlers is of great concern.

Crop genetic diversity in Pakistan is low and the principal reason is the use of high-yield varieties (HYVs). This genetic erosion is well pronounced in wheat, rice, cotton, sorghum, sugarcane and vegetables. Similarly some 75-80% of Pakistan's domestic livestock are cross-breeds. As the genetic traits of local species are lost, the ability to adapt to local environments and climates and to tolerate diseases is greatly reduced. The use of pesticides and fertilizers has increased rapidly in recent years. Unfortunately, the widespread use of pesticides has disturbed the agro-ecosystem and killed non-target and environment-friendly organisms, including many bird species. Studies show that the populations of natural enemies in cotton growing areas have declined as much as 90 percent during the last decade. Besides, the excessive inappropriate use of agro-chemicals has induced pest resistance and their resurgence, and ill effects on the health of people.

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Pollution is a growing problem in Pakistan and discharge of sewage and industrial effluent into aquatic and marine ecosystems is a major threat to the biodiversity. Major cities dispose largely untreated sewage into irrigation systems, streams and rivers. The polluted water is also being used for drinking in downstream areas, causing numerous water-borne diseases.

Pakistan ranks 16th on the Climate Change Vulnerability Index, and 10th “most affected” country as a result of climate change. It is estimated that more than 10 million people have been displaced in Pakistan over the last 2 years due to these climate related disasters. Pakistan’s economy has been crippled heavily by devastating and repetitive floods during the last decade. In the past 10 years, Pakistan has been hit by floods almost every year. However, the floods of 2010, 2011, and 2014 have emerged as the biggest catastrophes in the country’s history.

Policy, Planning, and Institutional Failures: The value of biodiversity and ecosystem services, their contribution to national economy, and potential to alleviate poverty have not been integrated in the national and local planning and development process. Consequently the environment sector including climate change, biodiversity, forestry and wildlife receive a very low priority when it comes to resource allocation. The only year when allocation to environment rose beyond decimals (1.8%) was 2005-06. The situation is no better for other natural resource sectors including agriculture, livestock and fisheries. Although national benefits from biodiversity goods and ecosystem services would far exceed the costs of protecting conserving and making their sustainable use, yet there is no national policy for conservation, and sustainable use of biodiversity.

3. National Constitutional and Legal Frameworks

Environmental pollution and ecology was included in the list of subjects on which both federal and provincial government could legislate, however, under the 18th constitutional amendment of 2012, it was made the exclusive domain of the Provincial Assemblies. The provinces and other federating units have provincial laws for management of forests, wildlife, and fisheries. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Act of1997 (PEPA) had been the key environmental legislation instrument for the entire country until the 18th amendment transferred the responsibility of environmental legislation and management to the provinces. Responding to the need, some of the provinces have already enacted their provincial environmental protection acts while others are the process of doing so. All the provincial governments and federating units have laws and regulations governing forestry, wildlife and fisheries.

Pakistan Trade Control of Wild Fauna and Flora Act, 2012 (CITES Act) extends to whole of Pakistan, and it prohibits export, re-export and import of any specimen included in any Appendix of CITES and fixes punishment for contravention. A bill to provide for facilitating access to genetic resources and their derivatives for environmentally sound uses and equitably sharing benefits derived from them was drafted in 2012. The bill is a legislative requirement under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) to which Pakistan is a Party.

4. National Policy Framework

The Pakistan National Conservation Strategy (NCS) formulated in 1992, was the first ever policy framework for biodiversity and conservation. The NCS experience lead to the preparation of provincial and local level conservation strategies. Although biodiversity considerations received attention in national planning processes after the NCS, it was not until 2000 that a comprehensive Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) was prepared. The National Environment Policy 2005 provides an overarching framework for addressing the environmental issues facing Pakistan, particularly pollution of fresh water bodies and coastal waters, air pollution, lack of proper waste management, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, desertification, natural disasters and climate change. The draft National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) of 2012 envisions ‘to evolve a just and harmonious society in the country through promotion of a vibrant and equitable economic growth without overexploitation of natural resources with fair distribution of development dividends to all; in particular to the marginalized, poor and vulnerable in the society and to future generations’.

The National Climate Change Policy, approved by the government in 2012 has an overall goal, ‘to ensure that climate change is mainstreamed in the economically and socially vulnerable sectors of the economy and to steer Pakistan towards climate resilient development’. One of the major objectives of the policy is conservation of natural resources

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and long term sustainability which was further elaborated through specific measures under forestry, biodiversity and other vulnerable ecosystems. The biodiversity related policy measures included setting National Biodiversity Indicators and to provide the requisite financial resources for implementation of the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).

5. Institutional Framework

The Forestry Wing of the Ministry of Climate Change is the national focal point for the CBD. The Directorate of Biodiversity in the office of the Inspector general of Forests is responsible for coordination with the CBD Secretariat on one hand and with the national, provincial, regional and local government agencies, and other stakeholders responsible for implementation of CBD on the other. In the four provinces, State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan region, and federally administered tribal areas, departments of the forestry, wildlife, fisheries, environment, and agriculture and livestock sectors are responsible for the management of these sectors and the other matters related to biodiversity. The provincial Environment Departments are responsible for providing and enforcing environmental impact assessment guidelines for all economic development projects, regulating industrial and municipal pollution.

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) hosts the only Plant Genetic Center in the country. In addition, the provincial governments have established many field research stations for in-situ conservation of important varieties and land races of crops and breeds of major indigenous breeds. The biodiversity research and education is still in its infancy and only a couple of universities have started to do research and included biodiversity in their curriculum. The in-situ conservation potential of zoological and botanical gardens is not being fully utilized.

International conservation organizations like the International union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have played a significant role in creating awareness, building capacity, policy development and jointly implementing new generation of biodiversity conservation projects.

II. INATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY: PRINCIPLES, PRIORITIES AND TARGETS

6. Biodiversity Awareness

People are often unaware of the loss of biodiversity and its consequences for their own well-being. Therefore well planned and targeted efforts will be required to create awareness among the people who use it and those who are responsible for making the national policies and plans. The strategies to create awareness would include: (a) mobilization of media – print, audio, and video; and (b) introduce the knowledge and values of biodiversity in the curricula of schools and at college and university levels. A national action plan shall be completed and implementation started by 2016. A focus group of ‘opinion leaders’ representing print and audio-visual media shall be constituted to prepare and implement the action plan. In addition, a cadre of environmental journalists who act as ‘biodiversity champions’ for print media shall be created by 2017 and supported to contribute articles to print media, produce audio messages for radio, and video clips for TV. A task forces comprising of Ministries of Education, Science and Technology, and Food Security and Climate Change will be constituted by 2017 to take measures for incorporating biodiversity in curriculum of universities, colleges and schools.

7. Mainstreaming Biodiversity

Biodiversity is a multidisciplinary subject and thus needs to be mainstreamed in the national policies and plans for sustainable development, poverty reduction, climate change, trade, international cooperation, and in sector-specific plans such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry, mining, energy, tourism, transport, etc. The mainstreaming will help all sectors recognize the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services and act to maximize the positive and minimize the negative impacts of human activities on biodiversity. By end of 2015, the revised NBSAP would be adopted as a policy instrument by the government. Ministry of Climate Change would seek approval of the NBSAP government as a policy instrument. In addition, a Biodiversity Round Table comprising of all relevant Ministries shall be established to integrate biodiversity concerns in sector policies and plans.

A support group comprising of ‘opinion leaders’ from among the policy makers and planners will be identified by 2016 and supported to act as a change agent through informal communications. The biodiversity concerns shall be incorporated by 2016 in the National School of Public Policy, National Institute of Management, National Defense

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College, and Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Studies. At least three studies shall be commissioned by 2017 to demonstrate the value of biodiversity and form a basis for dialogue with the Ministry of Finance for the need to include biodiversity in national accounting and reporting systems. Steps will be taken to mobilize financial resources for a substantial increase by 208 from the current levels for effective implementation of the NBSAP.

8. Gender, Poverty and Biodiversity Nexus

The landless and small landholders and rely on goods and services derived from biodiversity and ecosystems on common property or open access resources where there is little or no management. The common property and open access resources most threatened with over exploitation and loss of biodiversity include mountain ecosystems, range lands, wetlands, coastal areas, and forests. The natural resources that are exploited by the poor for subsistence include firewood, forage, and non-timber forest products. Furthermore, pastoral communities in Baluchistan and northern Pakistan rely entirely on natural resources for grazing their livestock. The loss of biodiversity not only increases their poverty levels but also increases their vulnerability to climate change. The men, women, and children use natural resources differently and therefore conservation programmes built on gender differences will be more socially acceptable and sustainable in the long run. The women and children are mostly involved in collection of firewood, forage and NTFPS. Thus loss of biodiversity or lack of access to natural resources near their homes means increase in their workloads and economic hardships. Conservation programmes that limit the access of the poor to resources for sustenance and livelihoods will be unsustainable in the long term and will contribute to increased poverty, inequality, and resource degradation. Just as dependence on natural resources is central to the livelihoods of many rural communities and degradation of ecosystems contributes to increased poverty, conversely there is an opportunity to alleviate poverty by restoring and maintaining the health of ecosystems. Therefore, gender and poverty considerations cut across all thematic areas of biodiversity conservation and will be integral component of the relevant strategies and action plans.

9. Terrestrial Ecosystems

A very large percentage of terrestrial ecosystems are either common property resource or open access with little or no management. Pakistan is bestowed with a rich biodiversity comprised of 17 major vegetation types with many endemic species of flora and fauna and a number of wild relatives of crops. Two of the country’s terrestrial ecosystems are included in the list of global 200 priority ecosystems prepared under Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. These are: (a) Western Himalayan Temperate Forests and (b) Tibetan Plateau Steppe. The natural ecosystems, except for a small percentage of area designated as forests and protected areas have no management in place. The protected area list of Pakistan is comprised of all game reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, and national parks spread over approximately 11% of the area of the country. The protected area system review of 2000 found that many protected areas do not meet the globally accepted criteria, and a study undertaken in 2012 found many representation, ecological and management gaps in the protected area system of Pakistan.

The strategies to conserve the rich biological diversity of terrestrial ecosystems include; (a) strengthen the institutional, regulatory and financial frameworks, (a) expand and rationalize of the protected area system, (c) improve conservation status of known threatened species, and (d) improve the knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity, its values, functioning, status and trends will be will be improved. Specific measure will include but not limited to: (1) strengthening of Directorate of Biodiversity; (2) preparation of a biodiversity policy; (3) guidelines for trade in species; (4) prepare a map of natural habitats to provide a basis for assessing the biodiversity status and to identify conservation priorities and opportunities; (5).prepare a national list of protected areas that meet the recognized definition; (6) expand the protected areas to cover at least 17 percent of land area and to include representation of ecosystems, ecologically sensitive areas, and habitats of species threatened with extinction; (7) remove negative and provide positive incentives to significantly reduce and halt the degradation of natural resources; and (8) conservation status of at least ten threatened species is improved.

10. Forest Ecosystems

There is no credible data of forest cover in Pakistan and the official statistics differ from international assessments. FAO in State of Forests (2001) reported the forest area of Pakistan decreased from 2.75 million ha in 1990 to 2.36 million ha in 2000 or a 1.5% an annual rate of deforestation over a ten year period. The Global Forest Watch

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initiative of the World Resources Institute (WRI) has reported that Pakistan lost 10,000 ha of forest between the years 2000 to 2012 and gained less than 1000 ha in the same period in the form of plantations. Irrespective of the differences in reports on forest cover, one thing is obvious that the forestry capital of Pakistan is relatively small and the forest cover is shrinking due both to deforestation and degradation. Pakistan is committed, under the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to increase its forest cover to 6.0 % by 2015. Pakistan is also obligated to report on the status of forests in a transparent manner to various international conventions and UN agencies. In addition to providing valuable timber, and ecosystem services, the forests also produce a big quantity of medicinal and edible plants. It is estimated that 500 tons of medicinal plants are produced in Hazara and Malakand, 16 tons in Murree Hills, 38 tons in Azad Kashmir and about 24 tons in Gilgit-Baltistan (PFI, 1989). These plants are collected from the wild, dried and processed and sold in the local markets or exported to other countries.

The strategies proposed to conserve forest biodiversity and use it sustainably include (a) reform the forest education, forest administration and research with emphasis on maximizing ecosystem services, (b) adoption of ecosystem approaches for forest management, (c) remove negative incentives and provide positive incentives to eliminate anthropogenic pressures, and (d) improve the knowledge, the science base, and technologies relating to forest biodiversity, its values, functioning, status and trends. The specific measures to implement the strategies and achieve Aichi Biodiversity Targets 2011-2020 include: (1) develop a forest classification system and GIS based maps using agreed international standards technologies that include broad indicators of forest biodiversity; (2) periodically monitor health and condition of forest ecosystems; (3) formulate policy and regulatory framework reformed to promote ecosystem based forest management integrated with the wider landscapes; (4) demonstrate the ecosystem approach in six different forest ecosystems; (5) demonstrate collaborative forest management approaches in six different regions for reducing the anthropogenic impacts and developing livelihoods based on sustainable use of forest biodiversity; (6).revise the Code for the preparation of forest management plans to incorporate the ecosystem approaches; (7) designate at least 17 percent of forest areas of special importance for biodiversity as Forest Biodiversity Reserves; (8).restore and sustainably manage at least three major landscapes that provide essential services related to water and contribute to health; livelihoods and well-being of local communities; and (9) develop and promote Joint forest management practices for reforestation of at least 15,000 ha of forests and 5,000 ha of community forests for carbon sequestration.

11. Inland and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems

The inland water ecosystems of Pakistan comprise of streams, rivers, numerous natural lakes, manmade reservoirs, Around 225 wetlands in Pakistan are important for biodiversity of which only 46 sites have some sort of protected status. This includes 15 wetlands of international importance that have been designated as Ramsar Sites. Pakistan is a range country of the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and the wetlands serve as a refuge for wintering migratory birds. The rivers, manmade reservoirs, canals are managed for irrigation and hydropower generation by the Water and Power Development Authority respectively. The fishing and hunting are regulated by the Fisheries Department and Wildlife Departments. All these agencies act independently without and coordination. Overfishing, and use of destructive fishing methods including illegal nets, and dynamite and poison fishing are other serious threats.

The strategies to conserve and make sustainable use of wetlands include: (a) The policy and regulatory framework will be reformed to include biodiversity considerations; (b) The fisheries shall be made sustainable through collaborative management, strengthening capacity of stakeholders, and strict enforcement of regulations; (c) and major wetland ecosystems shall be brought under effective management following ecosystem approach and integration with the surrounding landscape. The specific measures to implement the strategies and implement ABTs shall include but not limited to: (1) establish a coordination mechanism among agencies responsible for managing wetlands resources; (2) strengthen institutional, policy and regulatory framework of fisheries; (3) develop procedures for sustainable harvest of fish stock; (4) establish protected areas covering at least 17 percent and effectively manage major wetland complexes based on an ecosystem approach integrated with wider landscapes;(5) assess the biodiversity of key inland wetlands and monitor the status of species most in decline; (6) prevent the spread of alien from hatcheries and aquaculture into natural habitats and putting in place appropriate control measures; (7) implement plans for recovery of population of at least seven threatened fresh water species.

12. Coastal and Marine Ecosystems

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The Arabian Sea is of global biodiversity significance and is included in the Global 200 Priority Ecosystem. Over-fishing and fishing during the breeding season (June–August), has contributed to a steep decline in shrimp catches. Sardines are caught as trash fish and converted into chicken feed. The Indus Delta is heavily polluted by a variety of industrial effluents, sewage, solid waste, and nutrient-enriched irrigation water. Progressive upstream diversion of Indus waters is increasing salinity in Indus delta.

The beaches are nesting grounds of the Green and the Olive Ridley turtles. Marine turtles in Pakistan face multiple threats, of which the major threats are egg predation and incidental catch in fishing craft. Other threats include depredation on green turtle hatchlings by sea gulls, crows, foxes, jackals and stray dogs takes an additional toll. Climate change threatens the coastal communities in Pakistan due to lack of coastal resilience to cyclones. The Climate Risk Index (CRI) for 2012 ranked Pakistan as the 8th most affected country by climate change, and its impact could drive the already economically unstable country further into poverty.

The strategies to sustain marine fisheries and for adaptation to changing, would include: (a) improving he coastal and marine fisheries regulatory and institutional framework to address sustainability issues and conservation of biodiversity; (b) establishing a system of marine protected areas covering breeding grounds; (c) adoption of specific conservation measures aimed at recovery of populations of species most in decline; and (d) building capacity of communities in sustainable fisheries.

The specific measure to be taken to implement the strategies and achieve Aichi Biodiversity targets include but not limited to: (1) reform laws, regulations, and policies incorporating biodiversity concerns and effective management of coastal and marine fisheries on sound ecological basis; (2) strengthen Institutional effectiveness of the Coastal Marine Fisheries Departments to ensure effective management and monitoring of biodiversity; (3) establish at least three protected areas covering at least 10 percent of the marine area; integrating these in the wider landscapes and seascapes; and manage effectively based on an ecosystem based approach; (4) take measures to improve and sustain population of species in most decline; (5) cap the number of operating fleets to about 3,000 along Balochistan and 4,000 along Sindh coast; (6) modify at least 1,500 fishing boats to improve the outdated fishing methods; (7) prepare a Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the and build capacity of coastal communities to cope with the impacts of climate change; (8) initiate pilot collaborative project targeting at least five different communities for sustainable harvested of all fish and invertebrate stocks; (9) manage mangrove forests based on ecosystem approach under plans prepared and implemented jointly with custodial communities;

13. Sustainable Agriculture and Agrobiodiversity

Agriculture and livestock contribute 22% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), accounting for over 60% of exports, and employs more than 60% of the rural labor force. About 27.6 percent of area of the country is cultivated of which 75.5 per cent is irrigated and the remaining area is dryland agriculture. The irrigation practices are antiquated and excessive use of water is not only causing shortage of canal water, causing water logging and salinity, and in arid regions depleting of aquifers through pumping of ground water. There is a heavy input of agrochemicals, especially in the irrigated areas. Despite an impressive increase in agriculture production, Pakistan is a net importer of agricultural commodities with annual imports total about US$2 billion.

Pakistan has diverse agro climatic conditions and rich indigenous crop diversity with an estimated 3,000 taxa of cultivated plants and around 500 wild relatives of cultivated crops. The northern and western Pakistan comprises one of the world centers on the origin and diversity of cultivated plants. Many wild and local cultivars survived in Pakistan up to the era of the Green Revolution but after the introduction of high-yield varieties, local cultivars are now rare to find on farms. The government started collecting indigenous plant germ plasm in the early 1970s and today there are over 15,600 germ plasm accessions. The Indian subcontinent was one of the first places to domesticate cattle, buffalo and chicken. Pakistan now has two breeds of buffalo, eight of cattle, one of yak, 25 of goat, 28 of sheep, one of horse, four of camel, and three of indigenous poultry. The pure-bred animals are believed to constitute only 20-25% of the cattle population.

The green revolution shifted the focus of agriculture from an agro ecosystems approach to a crop culture. Consequently important components of agro ecosystems like pollinators, soils microorganisms and predators of crop pests receive little or no attention. Water shortages coupled with global warming pose serious threat to the food

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security of the country and livelihoods of people employed in this sector. Pakistan is the 8th most vulnerable country to climate change, and it is likely to impact the farming systems. The climate change impact is likely to have more impact in mountains and arid regions where rainfed agriculture is practiced.

The strategies to make agriculture sustainable and conserve agrobiodiversity include; (a) mainstreaming sustainable and biodiverse agriculture in national policies, laws, investment strategies, education and extension programmes; (b) raising of public awareness of all stakeholders; (c) developing sustainable agriculture models for different crops and agro-ecological regions; (d) bio diversification of agro ecosystems to restore agricultural diversity; (e) careful use of transgenic organisms to ensure that they pose no environmental and health risks. The following measures are proposed to translate the strategies into actions: (1) reform the national food security and nutrition security policy to incorporate considerations for sustainable agriculture, bio diversification of agro ecosystems, and climate change; (2) integrate sustainable agriculture and biodiversity concerns in the educational and extension programmes; (3) develop and demonstrate on farm models of sustainable production of major crops; and bio diversification of agro ecosystems; (4) Adopt appropriate legislative and regulatory measures to prevent, detection, respond and eradicate invasive species; (5) document the diversity of local varieties and land races and breeds of livestock and poultry and local knowledge of their management and provide incentives for on-farm conservation; and (6). Improve local varieties, land races and breeds for resistance to disease, drought tolerance, and increased production.

14. Environmental Protection

Until recently, Pakistan Environmental Protection Council (PEPC); was responsible to take measures to prevent pollution, protect of the environment, and promote sustainable development. However, after the 18th amendment in the constitution in 2012, these responsibilities were delegated to the provinces. The following strategies and actions are proposed to be taken for implementation of Aichi Biodiversity targets.

Pollution from discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluent into aquatic and marine ecosystems is a major threat to the biodiversity. The resultant loss of fish and contamination of potential drinking water has considerable economic and health impacts. Latest estimates are that total wastewater discharged to the major rivers is 392,511 million gallons, which includes 316,740 million gallons of municipal and 75,771 million gallons of industrial effluents. Use of pesticides and nitrogenous fertilizers is seriously affecting shallow groundwater and entry of effluents into rivers and canals is further deteriorating the quality of freshwater. Many creeks and coastal waters near Karachi exhibit eutrophication due to high levels of organic pollution. Extremely high levels of toxic heavy metals such as mercury have been documented, especially in the coastal waters and sea near Karachi.

The strategies to reduce and ultimately bring water pollution to within safe limits include: (a) strict enforcement of environmental laws and regulations to control pollution and ensure major economic development projects do not contribute to loss of biodiversity. The specific measures to be taken to implement the strategy and achieve Aichi Biodiversity Targets include but not limited to: (1) strengthen the professional and operational capacity of Environment Departments especially for safeguarding critical biodiversity habitats; and, (2) take measures to control pollution to safe levels in habitats of special biodiversity significance.

III. IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING, AND EVALUATION

The implementation monitoring and evaluation will be an integral component of the NBSAP. Effective implementation will require working with and building capacity of the stakeholders at national, provincial, regional and local levels; communicating and reaching out to mainstream biodiversity values in the policy and planning processes, and for people to conserve and use it sustainably; and mobilizing resources for its implementation.

15. Awareness and Capacity Development

There is a general lack of understanding of biodiversity and its values and therefore awareness raising and capacity development will be crucial for achieving the results. This will begin with strengthening capacity of the Directorate of Biodiversity, Ministry of Climate Change which will then build capacity of other stakeholders. It will be achieved

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through a series of thematic workshops to increase the knowledge of stakeholders, sharing of experiences, and use of relevant tools and mechanisms.

A clear understanding of the value of biodiversity is essential to prevent unintended negative consequences of policies for economic development. Suitable training modules will be developed and delivered in the training programmes for senior policy makers, planners and parliamentarians at the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), National Institute of Management (NIM), National Defense College, and Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Studies (PIPS). In addition to training, mass and informal communication resources shall be necessary for raising awareness and mainstreaming of biodiversity.

16. Plan for Resource Mobilization

Many actions proposed in NBSAP will either neatly fit or can be easily accommodated in the existing development budget of relevant sectors at the national, provincial and regional levels. Simultaneously additional sources of funding shall be explored through innovative mechanisms available in the Ministry of Climate Change (MoC), and other on-going donor projects, for example, project for REDD+ Readiness, the System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR) allocation under the Global Environmental Facility, etc. In addition, bi-lateral and multilateral donor support shall be solicited to meet the short fall in the financial resources for achieving the ABTs in an effectively and timely manner.

17. National Coordination Mechanisms

The Ministry of Climate Change shall have the overall responsibility of coordinating implementation of the NBSAP through its Directorate of Biodiversity. The implementing partners will be the relevant ministries at the national level, the provincial and regional governments and major international conservation organizations like IUCN and WWF. Because of the diversity of sub-sectors at provincial and regional level, the Planning and Development or its designated Department shall be a focal point for the CBD, coordinate among various stakeholders and act as a liaison with the MoC. For the purpose of coordination with the implementing partners a Steering Committee shall be established which shall meet at least once every year.

18. Clearing-House Mechanism

The government of Pakistan in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan with the support of GEF and UNEP launched Clearing House Mechanism website on the occasion of International day of Forest on March 7, 2013. It contained useful information of biodiversity in Pakistan, and measures implemented to conserve and make sustainable use of biodiversity. However, the website remained active only for a short time because funding for its hosting expired, and since then it is has been off line. The opportunities for finding a suitable host for the CHM are being explored and it is hoped it will be functional and updated soon.

19. Monitoring and Evaluation

The progress on the implementation of the NBSAP shall be monitored on an annual basis through a flexible framework of indicators reflecting national circumstances and priorities and based on indicative list of indicators contained in the annex to the CBD decision XI/3. The monitoring will not only measure progress towards the achievement of ABTs and national targets, but also help in identification of implementation issues, and in adaptive management for effective implementation of NBSAP. An independent mid-term evaluation shall be commissioned, subject to availability of funds, to review the implementation of NBSAP and make recommendation for achieving the national targets in an effective and timely manner. Final evaluation of NBSAP will be combined with the preparation of 6th National report.

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Figure 1. Map of Pakistan. (Source: Survey of Pakistan)

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I. INTRODUCTION

1. Context

The World Conservation Strategy (WCS) launched by The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN in 1980 provided a blue print to halt and reverse the rapid deterioration in the condition of earth’s living resources. The WCS urged the preparation of national conservation strategies to focus attention on priority areas, raise public consciousness, and to overcome apathy and resistance. Pakistan was among a few countries that responded to WCS and in 1991 drafted the National Conservation Strategy. Pakistan was also among the 150 countries that signed the Convention on Biological Diversity at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, and ratified it in 1994. A Biodiversity Action Plan of Pakistan was approved by the Pakistan Environment Protection Council in the year 2000 as a principal instrument for implementing the Convention at the national level (Article 6).

The Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention in their meeting held In April 2002, committed themselves to achieve a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level by 2010 as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth. In order to achieve the 2010 targets, the COP established seven thematic programmes of work corresponding to some of the major biomes on the planet. The programmes included a vision, guiding principles, potential outputs, and suggest a timetable for implementation.

The Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO) commissioned by the CoP reported that the 2010 Biodiversity Target was not met and biodiversity continued to be lost, ecosystems were degrading with a consequent decline in ecosystem services which threatened the human well-being. Against this background, COP-10 held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010, adopted the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 with five strategic objectives and 20 “Aichi Biodiversity Targets” (ABT). The Parties further agreed to translate this overarching international framework into revised and updated national biodiversity strategies and action plans.

The status of implementation of the 2010 targets in Pakistan was reviewed in 2009 during the preparation of Fourth National Report, and a review of BAP and Aichi Biodiversity Targets was done in 2014 during preparation of Fifth National Report. The reviews found that while some progress had been made on the Programmes of Work and ABTs, the ecosystems and habitats continued to degrade and diminish ecosystem services for the economic well-being and health of the people of Pakistan. The purpose of the preparation of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is to establishment national targets in line with the ABT, and their integration into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes.

2. Values of biodiversity and ecosystem services and their contribution to human well-being

The term biodiversity or ecosystem services refers to a set of benefits that fall into three distinct economic categories: (i) “goods” (products obtained for direct consumption or as inputs for industry, such as resource harvests, and genetic material that contribute to the variety of crops and animal breeding); (ii) “services” (recreational and tourism benefits or certain ecological regulatory functions, such as water purification, climate or pollution regulation, erosion control); and (iii) cultural benefits (scientific knowledge, spiritual and religious feelings, heritage, etc.). Apart from these actual benefits, biodiversity plays a significant role as a safety net in our changing world, especially for climate change and for the most vulnerable human populations whose subsistence depends directly upon productive ecosystems. The Millennium Assessment report also highlighted the links between ecosystem services and the elements that contribute to human well-being.

The economists have developed a conceptual framework, which aims at measuring the Total Economic Value (TEV) of the environmental services for the purpose of communicating the beneficial use of ecosystems services to increase public awareness and policy makers’ interests in biodiversity conservation. Unfortunately, valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services has not received attention in Pakistan, and thus environmental and biodiversity

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The biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and microorganisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. (Convention on Biological Diversity)


considerations do not receive priority in Pakistan as a means of socio-economic development. However, felt needs to improve ecosystem services have at times attracted the attention of the government to act. The prime example is the investments in integrated watershed management in the catchment of Mangla and Tarbela Dams to reduce siltation and increase their useful life. Another example is ban on logging after the torrential rains in northern Pakistan during September 1992 caused devastating floods. Recently, adverse impacts of deforestation on livelihoods of camel herders prompted political pressure in Balochistan to halt deforestation and restore productivity of camel browsing habitats.

3. Analysis of the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss

Land degradation and desertification are serious issues in Pakistan and main cause of loss of agricultural productivity and biodiversity. The main causes for loss of biodiversity remain the same as were described in the BAP in 2000; however, anthropogenic pressures have increased due to rapidly growing population and increasing poverty. While conservation efforts have created some islands of success, vast majority of ecosystems continue to degrade, habitats continue to be lost, and many species continue to face the extinction threat. Habitat fragmentation and loss poses a serious threat to biodiversity in all biomes and has advanced to such an extent that no corridors are left to connect the network of protected areas. Consequently many species are confined to isolated small populations. Habitat loss coupled with over exploitation of selected species for trade, food and sport have already resulted in extinction of some species from the wild and many more are threatened with extinction. Lists of endangered species of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and plants are given in annex 2.

3. 1. Population Growth

Population growth is at the center of loss of biodiversity and environmental degradation. Pakistan has one of highest population growth rates in the world and is sixth most populated countries of the world. The estimated population of Pakistan’s population grew from 31 million in 1951 to about185 million in 2014. The population increased on an average at a rate of three percent per year from 1951 until the middle of the 1980’s, then until the year 2000, the growth of the population slowed down to about 2.6 percent per year; and from 2000 to 2012, to about 2 percent per year1 (Figure 2) high population growth puts undue pressures on all other national resources, especially the natural resource capital. Great majority of people living in the rural areas outside of the arable tract have heavy dependence on natural ecosystems for fuel, forage, and small timber for construction. In the mountain areas, rapidly increasing population and infrastructure development is increasing the incidence of landslides. In addition, the new house holds break fresh land for agriculture and housing causing loss of biodiversity and habitat fragmentation.

3. 2. Policy, Planning, and Institutional Failures

After population growth, the second most important factor for loss of biodiversity is the lack of proper policy and planning frameworks and institutional weaknesses. The value of biodiversity and ecosystem services, their contribution to national economy, and potential to alleviate poverty have not been integrated in the national and local planning and development process. Consequently the environment sector including climate change, biodiversity, forestry and wildlife receive a very low priority. The budgetary allocations for biodiversity sectors from 2002 to 2013 are shown in figure 3 (GiZ, 2003)). The only year when allocation to environment exceeded decimals (1.8%) was 2005-06. The situation is no better for other natural resource management (NRM) sectors including agriculture, livestock and fisheries.

There is no approved national policy for conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of biodiversity. The upstream pollution, deforestation, and degradation of ecosystems has small economic gains but huge national cost in terms of quality and quantity of water, and diminishing water storage capacity of dams

1 Source: World Population Review @ worldpopulationreview.com

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Figure 2. Population growth in Pakistan 1960 - 2010.


for irrigation water and hydropower generation. A large proportion of the country's forests, rangelands, wetlands and coastal waters have become open access resources due to the breakdown of traditional common property resource

Figure 3. Overall national PSDP and allocation for the Ministry of Climate Change. (Source GiZ, 2009)

management systems. The costs of protecting species and ecosystems from exploitation can be prohibitive for owners, be they government, communities or individuals, who often lack sufficient resources, will, and capacity to enforce regulations or other restrictions. In many areas, the customary community responsibilities for the use of natural resources have weakened with the development of new economic opportunities eroding the need and concern for sustainable use of these resources. This concern has been further eroded by the disempowerment of local communities, for example, by state intervention in the management of community forests.

3. 2. Land Use - Degradation and Desertification

Total land area of Pakistan is 79,095 Km2 and percentage of major land uses are shown in figure 4. Land use planning is almost nonexistent in Pakistan and consequently the impact of land degradation and desertification on national economy is not well documented. A recent review of the knowledge on land degradation (Khan et al, 2012), reported water erosion, wind erosion, depletion of soil fertility, deforestation, unsustainable livestock grazing and water logging to be the major causes of land degradation that were being further aggravated by water scarcity, frequent droughts and mismanagement of land. It is estimated that water logging affects 11 million ha, and another five million ha are affected by salinity and sodicity.

Changes in the land use are a major cause of land degradation and loss of biodiversity. Breaking of new lands and faulty agricultural practices in monsoon belt are major factors accelerating water erosion in the uplands. High rates of soil erosion have reduced the useful life of Tarbela and Mangla dam with serious consequences in terms of acute power shortages and of irrigation water. Conversion of flood plains to agriculture has not only contributed to loss of valuable wetland habitats, but also exacerbated the damage from floods. Semiarid lands are also subjected to heavy soil erosion, due primarily to faulty cropping practices, overgrazing and deforestation. Arid lands and deserts have suffered from wind erosion caused by loss of vegetation cover. The irrigated areas are infested with the twin-menace

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Figure 4. Major land uses in Pakistan.


of water logging and salinity. The fossil water in arid Baluchistan plateau is being heavily mined for agriculture. The arid coastal lands and mangrove forests are under increased environmental stress caused by reduced fresh water flows, sewage and industrial pollution.

Figure 5. Wind and Water erosion in Pakistan 1998-2007.

While some degree of wind and water erosion is part of natural processes, accelerated erosion continues to be a major cause of land degradation and desertification in Pakistan. Water erosion affects the lands in high rainfall zones in north eastern Pakistan. Area affected by water erosion increased 273% from 11.305 million ha in 1998 to 42.307 million ha in 2007. Erosion by wind, on the other hand, is a characteristic feature of areas of dry, loose, bare sands or finer materials subject to strong winds. These include sandy deserts – Cholistan, Thal, Chagai and Kharan. In addition, hyper-arid areas of fine silt in the western Baluchistan are also subject to erosion by wind. The area affected by wind erosion increased by 174% from 4.759 million ha in 1998 to 13.028 million ha (GoP, 2009). The area affected by slight, moderate and severe wind and water erosion is shown in figure 5. Erosion by major streams along their courses, by waves/tides in the coastal plain, and by ice over the glaciated areas is also noteworthy in Pakistan. It is estimated that 2.282 million ha are eroded by streams, tides, and glaciers (GoP, 2009).

3. 3. Deforestation

The official estimates of forest cover is 5.35% (GoP while forest according to FAO’s assessment, the forest cover estimates for Pakistan vary between 2.2 – 2.4% and other wooded areas occupy another 1.8 percent. It is estimated that Pakistan has lost an average of 41,100 hectares of forest per year which amounts to an average annual deforestation rate of 1.63% (source: FAO in mongabay.com). In total, between 1990 and 2010, the country lost 41.3% of its forest cover, or around 946,000 hectares (Figure 6). However, the plantation area increased by 18.6% or around 106,000 ha during the same period. Measuring the total rate of habitat conversion (change in forest area plus change in woodland area minus net plantation expansion) for the 1990-2010 period, Pakistan lost 33.2% or about 840,000 ha of its forest and woodland habitat. The main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation are illegal cutting of trees for fuel by local people, and illegal logging operations by so called timber mafia.

3. 4. Open Access Resources

More than 50 percent of the area of Pakistan is open access resources, which are either not controlled by any user or have a very weak communal control. These lands include demarcated state lands, village shamlats (communal lands, and unmanaged proprietary lands. In other words, these are lands that are not cultivated, are not designated forest lands or protected areas. Major users of these lands are transhumance pastoralists, communities living on or

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Figure 6. Change in forest cover in Pakistan 1990 - 2010.


around these lands. Major land use is grazing, forage collection, and cutting of trees and bushes for fuelwood. Open access resources have rapidly depleted as individual users race to exploit resources and maximize short term gain with little long term interest in the sustainable use of the resource.

3. 5. Grazing

More than 60 percent of arid and semiarid lands of Pakistan cannot be cultivated or planted. Except for alpine pastures in the northern mountainous region, 85% of the rangelands receive less than 300 ml of precipitation. The proprietary rights over these lands are undecided and generally local tribes and communities exercise usufruct rights over these lands. These lands are not managed and are used primarily for grazing by the local and transhumance pastoral communities. The unregulated and heavy grazing pressure has caused severe degradation of the rangelands. According to the economic survey of Pakistan 2013-20142 between 1990 and 2014, the goat population increased by 80% from 37 to 66.6 million, numbers of sheep increased 10.6% from 26.3 to 29.1 million, and population of camel remained at about a million (Figure 7). While much of this increase has been fed by the production of forage within irrigated areas, persistent overgrazing has seriously depleted the carrying capacity of rangelands to about one-third the potential - and in some areas to as low as 15% of the potential (GoP and IUCN 1992).

3. 6. Unsustainable Fishing

Pakistan’s marine fisheries span over an 1126-km coastline between Sir Creek in east and Jiwani in the west spanning territorial waters of two provinces – Balochistan and Sindh. There has been a steady increase in fishing vessels of all kinds. However, despite the increase in the number of vessels, the fish catch has declined. Between 2000 and 2003, the catch declined from 438,000 to 402,000 metric tons. Not only have stocks fallen radically, some species of fish have been wiped out entirely, such as gallo and kalaki fish in Pasni, Balochistan Province, zardum, paplet, and kalgun in other areas of Balochistan and palla in Sindh Province. The size of fish caught is smaller than normal. Unsustainable harvesting is leading cause of fisheries resource degradation. The introduction of new technology and bigger fishing trawlers has also increased the tendency to overexploit the fishery resource. The use of wire nets and winches to carry out bottom dragging for up to a month at a time destroys coral reef systems and marine life on the sea bed. After indiscriminately catching all species using bottom dragging, the desired fish are kept and the rest thrown back into the water. In addition, incidental take of marine turtles by commercial shrimp trawlers using mechanized nets is also of concern. .

Mangroves in the Indus delta sustain fisheries through their role as breeding grounds, but the ecosystem is degrading from a combination of salt-water intrusion up to 30 km inland and reduced silt and nutrient flows due to upstream dam construction. This is one of the main causes for reduction in fish stock. Municipal and industrial waste; effluent and agricultural run-off, and oil spills at the ports are a major cause of water pollution and degradation of marine ecosystems. Aftab et al. (2000) have quantified the magnitude of the pollution and estimated that 70 per cent of Karachi’s wastewater flows into the marine environment.

3. 7. Promotion of High Yielding Varieties & Exotic Breeds

Crop genetic diversity in Pakistan is low and the principal reason is the development and use of high-yield varieties (HYVs). These varieties respond better to water and fertilizer, but are a tremendous threat to indigenous varieties and land races that had been selected and maintained by farmers for generations. This genetic erosion is more pronounced in wheat, rice, cotton, sorghum, sugarcane and vegetables. As the genetic traits of local species are lost,

2 http://finance.gov.pk/survey_1314.html)

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Figure 7. Numbers of goat, sheep, and camel 1990 - 2014.


the ability to adapt to local environments and climates and to tolerate diseases is greatly reduced. Though cross-breeding can lead to relatively rapid gains in productivity, it also increases the rate of genetic loss if the parent stock is not maintained. Some 75-80% of Pakistan's domestic livestock are cross-breeds. There is an immediate need to monitor this situation by conducting scientific surveys.

3. 8. Heavy Use of Agrochemicals

The use of pesticides and fertilizers has increased rapidly in recent years. Consumption of pesticides has increased from 61299 tons in 2000 to 129598 tons in 204 and then gradually came down to 73632 tons in 2010 (GoP, 2011). Unfortunately, the widespread use of pesticides has disturbed the agro-ecosystem and killed non-target and environment-friendly organisms. Besides this, the excessive inappropriate use has induced pest resistance and their resurgence. Studies show that the populations of natural enemies in cotton growing areas have declined as much as 90 percent during the last decade (Husnain, 1999). The use of fertilizer increased from 1.89 million tons in 1990 to 2.96 million tons in the year 20003.

Direct mortality of wildlife, especially birds, following the use of organophosphates has frequently been reported. Pesticides destroy the natural biotic balance in agricultural soils and reduce the diversity and abundance of invertebrate fauna, rodents and reptiles with cascading effects at higher trophic levels. The increasing presence of pesticides in agricultural runoff has both acute and chronic effects on aquatic fauna and on fish-eating birds. It is estimated that 25% of all pesticides used in Pakistan end up in the sea. Excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers leads to eutrophication of water channels and wetlands, the spread of aquatic vegetation, and reduced aquatic diversity.

3. 9. Pollution

Pollution is a growing problem in Pakistan and discharge of sewage and industrial effluent into aquatic and marine ecosystems is a major threat to the biodiversity. Petrochemicals, paper and pulp, food processing, tanneries, refineries, textile and sugar industries are major industrial contributors to wastewater pollution (UNIDO, 2000).Ten major cities produce 60% of urban waste water which is mostly untreated and discharged directly into natural streams and rivers. According to a World Bank Report (2005), the total waste water produced by these cities in 2002 was 2301 million m3/ year with Karachi at the top (604 million) followed by Lahore (287 million). Indiscriminate and unplanned disposal of effluents (including agricultural drainage water, municipal and industrial wastewater) into rivers, canals and drains is causing deterioration of water quality in the downstream parts. The polluted water is also being used for drinking in downstream areas, causing numerous water-borne diseases. The resultant loss of fish and contamination of potential drinking water has considerable economic and health impacts.

Use of pesticides and nitrogenous fertilizers is seriously affecting shallow groundwater and entry of effluents into rivers and canals is deteriorating the quality of freshwater. Almost all shallow freshwater is now polluted with agricultural pollutants and sewage (Ahmad, 2008a; Ahmad, 2008b). Industrial pollution is particularly severe in the industrial center of Karachi with a population of over 12 million people. About 80% of the total wastewater remains untreated and is discharged into the sea through sewers and rivers, mainly the Lyari and Malir. Many creeks and coastal waters in Karachi area exhibit eutrophication due to high levels of organic pollution. The characteristic smell of hydrogen sulphide in parts of the city is a sign of the intense bacterial activity from the presence of organic wastes.

Most coastal pollution is concentrated in Karachi harbor where an estimated 90,000 tons of oil products from vessels and port terminals are dumped every year. Extremely high levels of toxic heavy metals such as mercury have been documented in the coastal waters and sea near Karachi. These are likely to have both acute and chronic toxic impacts on human beings, marine biodiversity, and fish-eating birds. The impacts of these pollutants on commercial fin-fish and shrimp fisheries are unknown, but likely to be significant.

3. 10. Global Climate Change

Pakistan ranks 16th on the Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) by Maple Croft, jumping up 13 positions in one year. German watch also places Pakistan as the “most affected” country by climate change for 2010 and in top 10 for 1990-2010 period. Climate changes are costing the economy $14 billion a year, which is almost 5% of the GDP.

3 http://www.tradingeconomics.com/pakistan/fertilizer-consumption-metric-tons-wb-data.html

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According to the Asian Development Bank, more than 10 million people have been displaced in Pakistan over the last 2 years due to these climate related disasters. Pakistan’s economy has been crippled heavily by devastating and repetitive floods during the last decade. In the past 10 years, Pakistan has been hit by floods almost every year. However, the floods of 2010, 2011, and 2014 have emerged as the biggest catastrophes in the country’s history.

The floods of 20104 remain as one of the biggest tragedies with 20 million people affected by it. The floods resulted in approximately 1,781 deaths, injured 2,966 people and destroyed more than 1.89 million homes. The country was still in the recovery phase of 2010 floods, when the 2011 floods struck. Although nowhere near the 2010 floods, the 2011 floods also wreaked havoc, and affected 9.6 million people affected with 520 deaths,1.2 million homes damaged in Sind, as well as inundating 688,000 ha of arable land. In 2014 floods, 312 people died, with 2,275,000 affected and nearly 687,965 hectares of crops lost.

4. National constitutional, legal and institutional framework

4.1. Biodiversity Legal Framework

Constitution of Pakistan (1973). The Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan predates the global emphasis on conservation of biodiversity, and thus does not include any reference to it, however, the superior courts of Pakistan have interpreted ‘right to life’ used in Article 9 of the Constitution and have held that the word ‘life’ used in the said Article encompasses the environment in all its dimensions. 'Environmental pollution and ecology' was a subject on which both federal and provincial government could legislate, but under the 18th constitutional amendment of 2012; it was made the exclusive domain of the Provincial Assemblies. However, the Parliament is still empowered to legislate on ‘international treaties, conventions and agreements, international arbitration, national planning and national economic coordination including planning and coordination of scientific and technological research.

Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Act of1997 (PEPA) had been the key environmental legislation instrument for the entire country until the 18th Constitutional Amendment transferred the responsibility of environmental legislation and management to the provinces. The Act was more focused on environmental protection in general, primarily through controlling pollution, rather than ecosystem based measure for conservation of biodiversity. Responding to the change, Punjab in 2012 and Balochistan in 2013 have already enacted their provincial Environmental Protection Acts while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have prepared the draft environmental protection bills which are awaiting enactment by the respective legislative assemblies. The PEPA is now responsible only for the Islamabad Capital Territory, and federally administered tribal areas. The National Environmental Quality Standards prepared by PEPA are still valid and have already been adopted by the provinces.

Pakistan Trade Control of Wild Fauna and Flora Act, 2012 (CITES Act). In order to effectuate the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 1973, the Pakistan Trade Control of Wild Fauna and Flora Act, 2012 (CITES Act) was promulgated which extends to whole of Pakistan. It prohibits export, re-export and import of any specimen included in any Appendix of CITES and fixes punishment for contravention.5 It provides for establishment of a Management Authority with representation from all provinces for making concessions on scientific and legal grounds. This law has significant implications for sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products, especially medicinal and aromatic plants as it would not only help check unsustainable harvesting practices but would also encourage the beneficiary communities to make sure that such species are conserved and protected so that a sustainable use regime could be put in place to take full advantage of such species.

Access Benefit Sharing Bill, 2012 (Draft). A legislation to provide for facilitating access to genetic resources and their derivatives for environmentally sound uses, protecting associated traditional knowledge, equitably sharing benefits derived from them, and promoting technology transfer and building scientific knowledge and technological capacity associated with them was drafted in 2012. The bill is a legislative requirement under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) to which Pakistan is a Party. The draft bill protects community rights in respect to genetic resources, i.e., (1) the inalienable right to use their traditional knowledge in

4 www.finance.gov.pk/survey/chapter_12/SplSection.pdf5 Government of Pakistan, 2012. Pakistan Trade Control of Wild Fauna and Flora Act, 2012.

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their customary ways, (2) the right to regulate the access to their traditional knowledge, and (3) the right to share the benefits arising out of the utilization of their traditional knowledge.6

4. 2. Provincial Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Laws

All the provincial governments and governments of AJK and GB have provincial laws for the management of forests, fisheries and wildlife resources in areas under their jurisdiction. Marine fisheries are regulated by the federal government under the Exclusive Fishing Zone (Regulation of Fishing) Act, 1975 as amended in 1993. This extends to the whole Pakistan and to waters within the exclusive fishery zone of Pakistan beyond the territorial waters. It regulates the management of fishing in exclusive economic zone of the country.

4. 3. Biodiversity Policy Framework

National Conservation Strategy (1992). The Pakistan National Conservation Strategy (NCS) (1992), was the first ever policy framework for biodiversity and conservation with three objectives: (a) conservation of natural resources, (b) sustainable development, and (c) improved efficiency in the use and management of resource. The ‘biodiversity conservation’ was one of the fourteen programme areas of work for priority action. The NCS had a central influence in mainstreaming environmental and sustainability dimensions in other policies, plans and strategies, including Pakistan’s Eighth Five-Year Plan, which borrowed heavily from the NCS in terms of greening its development objectives. The success of NCS prompted interest in developing provincial and local level conservation strategies and since then, all provinces have developed their conservation or sustainable development strategies.

Biodiversity Action Plan (2000). Although biodiversity considerations started receiving attention in national planning processes after the NCS, it was not until 2000 that a comprehensive Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) was prepared for implementation of the CBD. The BAP was approved by the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council and thus adopted as the first comprehensive strategic action plan for conservation of biodiversity in Pakistan. It has 13 components, corresponding to specific Articles of the CBD, 25 objectives and proposed 182 actions with 31 to be undertaken immediately within a year, 81 within five years, and 25 within ten years.

National Environment Policy 2005. The National Environment Policy provides an overarching framework for addressing the environmental issues facing Pakistan, particularly pollution of fresh water bodies and coastal waters, air pollution, lack of proper waste management, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, desertification, natural disasters and climate change. It also gives directions for addressing the cross-sector issues as well as the underlying causes of environmental degradation and meeting international obligations. The National Environment Policy, while recognizing the goals and objectives of the National Conservation Strategy, National Environmental Action Plan and other existing environment related national policies, strategies and action plans, provides broad guidelines for addressing environmental concerns and ensuring effective management of their environmental resources at national, provincial, regional and local levels.

National Sustainable Development Strategy 2012. The National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) envisions to evolve a just and harmonious society in the country through promotion of a vibrant and equitable economic growth without overexploitation of natural resources, fair distribution of development dividends to all; in particular to the marginalized, poor and vulnerable in the society and to future generations. The Strategy is aligned with the emerging concept of ‘green economy’ as an alternate to the Framework for Economic Growth (2011), prepared by the Planning Commission of Pakistan.

National Climate Change Policy, 2012. The National Climate Change Policy, approved by the government in 2012 has an overall goal, ‘to ensure that climate change is mainstreamed in the economically and socially vulnerable

6 Government of Pakistan, 2012. Pakistan Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-sharing Act (Draft). Islamabad: Climate Change Division, GoP.

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sectors of the economy and to steer Pakistan towards climate resilient development’. One of the major objectives of the policy is conservation of natural resources and long term sustainability which was further elaborated through specific measures under forestry, biodiversity and other vulnerable ecosystems. The biodiversity related policy measures included setting National Biodiversity Indicators and to provide the requisite financial resources for implementation of the BAP.

4. 4. Poverty Reduction Strategies

Pakistan's national economic strategy cites macroeconomic stability, financial discipline and sound policy as key to broad-based growth, job creation and poverty reduction. Pakistan adopted the process of developing the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) in 2000. Pakistan's first PRSP was implemented from 2004 to 2006. The PRSP-II7, the latest strategy paper, was implemented from 2008 till 2010. The other key policy documents outlining Pakistan's national poverty reduction strategy are Vision 20308 formulated in 2007, the Medium-Term Development Framework 2011-2014. With the change in the political government in 2013, Pakistan has a new strategic framework entitled Pakistan 20259: One Nation – One Vision. All these documents underscore the importance of the agriculture and rural non-farm sectors to the country's overall poverty reduction strategy, recognizing that they represent valuable sources of employment. Within the agriculture sector, the government has outlined a number of strategic development objectives, including a focus on increasing yields, diversifying cropping patterns, producing high-value crops and investing in livestock and dairy development.

4. 5. Institutional Framework

The Forestry Wing of the Ministry of Climate Change is the national focal point for the CBD. The Directorate of Biodiversity in the office of the Inspector General of Forests is responsible for coordination with the CBD Secretariat on one hand and with the national, provincial, regional and local government agencies, and other stakeholders responsible for implementation of CBD on the other. The downstream linkages of Directorate of Biodiversity remained very weak until recently. It was only during the process of drafting of 5th National Report that meetings were held for the first time with the provincial and regional governments who were requested to designate focal points for CBD and create a coordination mechanism for engaging the stakeholders in its implementation.

In the four provinces, State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan region, and federally administered tribal areas, departments of the forestry, wildlife, fisheries, environment, and agriculture and livestock are responsible for the management of these sectors and all other matters related to biodiversity. Unfortunately biodiversity considerations have not been mainstreamed in the policy and plans of these sectors and even many professionals are unaware of national obligations under CBD. The provincial Environment Departments are responsible for providing and enforcing environmental impact assessment guidelines for all economic development projects, regulating industrial and municipal pollution. The Environment Protection Department of the Punjab province is actively working on raising biodiversity awareness and for this purpose has established four biodiversity parks in different ecological zones.

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has in recent years started work on agro-biodiversity and hosts the only Plant Genetic Center in the country. The provincial governments have also established field research stations for in-situ conservation of important varieties and land races of crops and major indigenous breeds. The biodiversity research and education is still in its infancy and only a couple of universities have started to do research and included biodiversity in their curriculum. The in-situ conservation potential of zoological and botanical gardens is not being fully utilized.

International conservation organizations like the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) play a significant role in creating awareness, building capacity, policy development and jointly implementing new generation of biodiversity conservation projects.

5. Lessons learned from the earlier NBSAP(s) and the process of developing the updated NBSAP 7 www.finance.gov.pk/poverty/PRSP-II.pdf8 http://www.pc.gov.pk/vision2030/Pak21stcentury/vision%202030-Full.pdf9 http://pakistan2025.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Pakistan-Vision-2025.pdf

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5.1. Progress on Implementation of Biodiversity Action Plan 2000. The BAP comprised of 13 components, corresponding to articles of the CBD include: planning and policies, legislation, identification and monitoring, in-situ conservation, ex-situ conservation, sustainable use, incentive measures, research and training, public education and awareness, environmental impact assessment, access issues, exchange of information, and financial resources. The Plan included182 targets, 31 to be undertaken within a year, 81 within five years, and 25 within ten years. Although 14 years have passed since the BAP was approved, its implementation has been far from satisfactory. Review during the preparation of 5th National Report revealed that no action was initiated on 71 or 52% of actions, 61 or 44.5% actions were partially or fully completed, and five (5) actions under implementation (Figure 8). A major reason for lack of proper implementation of the BAP is that the targets were too ambitious, prepared without taking into consideration the financial constraints and lack of human resource and institutional capacity. A summary of the implementation is given in the following pie charts.

5. 2. Biodiversity Scenarios

The end or slowdown of high rate of population growth is not in sight in near future. Therefore anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity will continue to increase, deforestation and degradation of ecosystems will continue unabated, habitats will be further fragmented resulting in diminishing ecological connectivity, fisheries resources will continued to be depleted, and agro-biodiversity continue to be lost. However, recent successful recovery of the some threatened species of wildlife and vulnerable habitats are like a silver lining that in coming years populations of more threatened species will be recovered and maintained in the wild, and there will be an increase in the number of protected areas being managed effectively. Similarly, the floods and other extreme events due to impending climate change will draw the attention of policy makers and planners for increasing investments in conservation of biodiversity. A brief overview of scenarios covering different biomes and resource management regimes are presented here.

Terrestrial Ecosystems: There will be no serious threat of deforestation to forests and natural habitats that are managed by the government; however, the peripheral areas will continue to degrade under heavy pressure of grazing and fuelwood collection. Deforestation and degradation of natural habitats where tenure rights are not well defined will continue, however, afforestation on private lands using indigenous species will continue with the support of government. Representation and management of protected areas will improve, and extent of areas with high potential for sport hunting and bird shooting will increase.

Aquatic Ecosystems: The fish catch in both inland waters and marine areas will continue to increase both to meet the increasing demand in country and of the booming export market. However, enforcement of laws and regulations to curb use of harmful fishing methods will improve over time. A number of hydropower projects are currently under

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Figure 2. Progress on the implementation of Biodiversity Action Plan 2000.


construction on rivers in mountainous region and more are planned for future. These projects are likely to fragment the aquatic habitats with serious impact on the cold water aquatic biodiversity.

Climate Change: The natural habits in the northern mountainous region of Pakistan will shrink and shift under global warming putting the survival of species like snow leopard, brown bear and many other species with a narrow niche at risk of extinction from the wild. Increase in snow and glacier melt, coupled with extreme climatic event will adversely impact habitats through increase in intensity and frequency of floods in some areas, and drought in others. The country has already suffered heavy damage and loss of life and property from the unprecedented floods of 2010, 2011, and 2014. The farmers in some areas are already experiencing change on sowing and maturity of some agricultural crop due to climate, especially so in the drylands and uplands.

5.3. Processes for development of BAP and NBSAP.

A transparent and consultative process ensuring wide participation of a broad range of stakeholders from government, academia and civil society was adopted for the preparation of both the BAP 2000 and the NBSAP. In addition, national and regional level workshops were organized for consultations with a broad range of interest groups. In case of NBSAP, the voluntary guidelines to parties proposed by CBD for review of national biodiversity strategies and action plans were followed for the revision process. Following is a brief overview of the processes for the development of the BAP and the NBSP.

5. 3. 1. Biodiversity Action Plan 2000

The preparation of the BAP 2000 started with the formulation of a Biodiversity Working Group (BWG) to guide the process. The BWG comprised of government and civil society representatives, and key resource persons with specialization in different fields of biodiversity. The process started with a national level inception workshop at which time different thematic groups were constituted to hold consultations with stakeholders and formulate strategies and actions to achieve the objectives of the CBD. Additionally, a number of background papers were prepared on sector and cross-cutting issues. A drafting team prepared the first draft of the BAP using the background information, and thematic reports. The initial draft was first reviewed by the BWG, and then circulated widely for peer review. The final draft was again reviewed by the BWG and then submitted to the government for approval. The BAP was considered in a meeting of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council in the year 2000 and approved.

5. 3. 2. Revision of NBSAP:

Road maps for revision of the NBSAP together with working papers for consultations on major thematic areas of the biodiversity were shared electronically with the larger BWG. A meeting of the core group of the BWG was then held in Islamabad to review the road map and the working papers. The road map and working papers were then revised in light of the suggestions made by the BWG. Consultative meetings were then held with smaller groups comprised of key resource persons, professionals and representatives of other stakeholders. the Biodiversity Working Group (BWG) and other key resource persons covering different thematic areas: like, Habitats and Species, Forest Ecosystems, Agro-ecosystems, Inland Waters, Coastal Areas and Marine Ecosystems, and cross cutting issues - Ecosystem Services and Livelihoods, and Policy and Planning.

The provincial governments and other federating units will be implementing the NBSAP in the field; therefore their buy-in of the strategies and actions was of prime importance in the process. Therefore, in order to create greater ownership of the NBSAP at provincial and regional levels, consultative meetings with stakeholders were organized in Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit. In addition, meetings were also held with policy makers and planners in the provinces and regions. Keeping in view the need of sub-national strategies and action plans for decentralized implementation, the provinces and other regional governments were provided financial and technical support to make their own strategies for achieving the CBD Strategic Objectives and taking actions to implement the ABTs. The NBSAP is thus the sum total of regional plans. The draft NBSAP was widely circulated to all stakeholders, key resource persons and members of the BWG for peer review.

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II. NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN

6. Vision

The guiding vision of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is to make available the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services to all segments of society, in particular the marginalized, poor and vulnerable in the society and the future generations by restoring and conserving the rich natural biodiversity heritage of Pakistan, and making its sustainable use based on principle of equitable sharing of benefits.

7. Goals

1. Conserve biodiversity in priority sites, species and genetic diversity: In pursuing this goal, the focus will be on in-situ site specific conservation work, high priority ex-situ conservation, wildlife trafficking, and illegal timber trade.

2. Mainstream biodiversity as an essential element of human development: This goal will be to increase awareness of how biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services contribute to human wellbeing, sustain development outcomes; and will promote integration with key sectors such as agriculture, poverty alleviation, climate change, health, democracy and governance, economic growth, and trade.

8. Objectives

The objectives for realizing the vision and achieving the goals of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan are based on the national priorities and the strategic goals of the CBD. These are:

1. Create an enabling environment for conservation of biodiversity; 2. Reduce, and where possible, eliminate direct and indirect threats to biodiversity;3. Mainstream biodiversity concerns in national policies and plans to sustain development and to alleviate

poverty.4. Adopt ecosystem approach at appropriate spatial and temporal scales.5. Apply science, traditional knowledge, and learning to enhance biodiversity conservation practice 6. Mobilize resources to implement NBSAP and explore sustainable financing such as payment for ecosystem

services.

9. Strategies and Actions

The strategies and actions to achieve the objectives are organized around cross cutting issues - biodiversity awareness, mainstreaming, poverty alleviation environment and CBD major thematic program areas – terrestrial ecosystems, forest biodiversity, inland and coastal wetlands, coastal lands and marine ecosystems, agrobiodiversity. The implementation, monitoring and evaluation arrangements are discussed in Part-III.

10. Biodiversity Awareness

10. 1 Context

People cause loss of biodiversity being unaware of need for its conservation and sustainable use. Similarly the importance of biodiversity for human wellbeing generally contrasts with the commonly held worldview of social and

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Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms. The biodiversity we see today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans. It forms the web of life of which we are an integral part and upon which we so fully depend (CBD).


economic development. Therefore their awareness about the loss of biodiversity and its consequences for their own well-being is paramount before they are asked to be a part of the solution. Effective communication with people is important to inform them of the problem and how they can take remedial measures. Change takes time, and simply getting the world out is not going to have an impact on biodiversity conservation. Therefore well planned and targeted efforts will be required to obtain commitment and cooperation of the people who use it and those who are responsible for making the national policies and plans. Biodiversity is relatively a new concept and acceptance of new ideas is always a long process. In fact, it could take until the retirement of the holdouts and the influx of younger and more open minds for the new idea to become accepted. Therefore it is important to equip the younger generations with the knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity, its values, functioning, status and trends, and the consequences of its loss.

The Biodiversity Action Plan recognized the need for a comprehensive strategy for communication and outreach to raise biodiversity awareness, but unfortunately no strategic measures were taken to raise the awareness. National level knowledge management, outreach and communication strategies should involve key stakeholders for each of the targets and any other important groups as appropriate to provide a targeted and comprehensive input for the implementation to ensure holistic implementation of the NBSAP at the appropriate scale. Communication alone may not be sufficient to achieve the desired results and may need to be linked with economic incentives and legal frameworks as a means of achieving change, especially when there are economic or structural barriers to overcome.

10. 2. Issues and Trends

Even though reports, memos and other publications are regularly distributed, these are not effective tools of communication, and there is no guarantee that they are read, understood or agreed with. Biodiversity experts also tend to believe that the way forward is to educate politicians and decision makers is by organizing workshops. From a communication perspective it is necessary to ask: Do decision makers have time for this? Do they feel the need and desire to be educated? Do they see the relevance of such workshops? Will such workshops even be counter-productive? Experience has shown that trying to make all politicians and decision makers biodiversity experts can be futile, and that it is more effective to accept their level of knowledge and interests and concentrate on how best to put biodiversity on their agendas. To gain this cooperation with stakeholders and to place biodiversity on the agenda of other Ministries, other levels of government or other sectors in society, a range of communication, education and awareness interventions are needed.

The two main modalities for this are formal and informal communication. In general, informal communication is the exchange of information on a personal basis. It is not bound by the rules and standards that apply to formal relations between organizations or between organizations and individuals. Informal communication is very effective to establish and maintain relationships, to discuss sensitive issues and to gain better and more detailed personal feedback. Informal communication takes place at face to face meetings; often in informal settings such as in the corridors of the workplace, the office canteen, or at social functions. The formal communication involves networking, establishing working relations, and defining common goals, updating knowledge and influencing decision making processes.

Not all members of a stakeholder group are the same. It is therefore important to identify the opinion leader/s in each group, and involve them in planning the interventions to engage the entire stakeholder group so as to minimize the risk of stakeholders not cooperating. Opinion leaders are people, who other people would follow, are trusted for the value of their information, are involved in many different networks, and have skills and interest to connect with people.

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“New scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them

see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation

grows up that is familiar with it. (Max Planck)


The opinion leaders may not be experts in biodiversity, but their views and beliefs should be treated with the utmost respect.

10. 3. Strategies

In order address these issues and achieve the special objectives of CBD and implement ABT 2010-2020, the following strategies shall be adopted.

10. 4. Actions

The following measures are proposed to translate the strategies into actions:

11. Gender, Poverty and Biodiversity Nexus

11. 1. Context

A vast majority of poor live in rural areas, many of which are landless or small landholders and rely on goods and services derived from biodiversity and ecosystems for their subsistence. The rural poor gather firewood, forage, and non-timber forest products are thus impacted by the loss of biodiversity. The livelihood and sustenance needs of pastoral communities in Baluchistan and northern Pakistan on natural resources are heavy and the loss of biodiversity not only increases their poverty levels but also increases their vulnerability to climate change.

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1. Mobilize mass media especially the print and audio-visual media to create public awareness of the values of biodiversity and consequences of its loss.

2. Introduce the knowledge, the values, and consequences of loss of biodiversity in the education at all levels - schools, colleges and universities.

3. Sensitize policy makers, planners and administrators in development and business sectors through opinion leaders and introducing biodiversity concerns in relevant training academies.

Action: 1. Capacity of the Biodiversity Directorate will be strengthened by 2016 to prepare and implement a

well-planned biodiversity education and communication strategy to create awareness of public, users of biodiversity, and policy makers, planners and administrators. (ABT 1)

2. A focus group comprising of ‘opinion leaders’ representing print and audio-visual media shall be constituted by 2016 to mobilize the media for raising awareness.(ABT 1)

3. A cadre of environmental journalists will be created by 2017 to act as ‘biodiversity champions’ for print media and make contributions to print media, produce audio messages for radio, and video clips for TV. (ABT 1)

4. A task forces comprising of CBD Focal Point, Ministries of Education and Science and Technology, and Food Security will be constituted by 2017 to introduce biodiversity in curriculum of universities, colleges and schools. (ABT 1)

5. A support group comprising of ‘opinion leaders’ from among the policy makers and planners will be constituted by 2016, to prepare and implement a strategy for increasing the biodiversity knowledge of decision makers and act as a change agent through informal communications. (ABT 2)

6. The capacity of National School of Public Policy (NSPP), National Institute of Management (NIM), National Defense College, and Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Studies (PIPS) will be built by 2017, to incorporate biodiversity consideration in their training courses for decision makers of mid-career and senior managerial levels. (ABT 2)


Furthermore, women, men, and children use natural resources differently and therefore conservation programmes built on gender differences will be more socially acceptable and sustainable in the long run.

In many parts of Pakistan, the women and children are responsible for collecting firewood, forage and NTFPS. Loss of biodiversity or lack of access to natural resources near their homes means increase in their workloads or economic hardships. There are two recent examples of how lack of consideration for the rural poor in planning for natural resource management projects affected their livelihoods. In, Malakand Social Forestry Project and under various watershed management projects, while the landowners benefited from increase in value of their land through project interventions, the rural poor who used those lands for grazing their livestock, collection of forage and fuelwood suffered great hardships. Conservation programmes that would limit the access of the poor to resources for sustenance and livelihoods will be unsustainable in the long term and will contribute to increased poverty, inequality, and resource degradation.


More than 60 percent area of Pakistan is either open access or common property resources. Common property resources are usually governed by traditional rules that determine who can use which resource and when. However, many common property resources have depleted over time due to over exploitation of resources. The poor health and condition of the ecosystems has distinct impacts on the environment, including increased livelihood burdens, increased poverty and decreased health. The women are particularly affected since they must travel farther to collect fuelwood, forage, and NTFPS. In addition, carrying head loads of fuelwood and forage over long distance has known to cause spine damage, pregnancy complications, and maternal mortality. (In: Bechtel, 2010). Fuelwood scarcity may also translate into the preparation of less food and/or less nutritious food. For example, in Bangladesh, there has been a shift from daily cooking of two meals to only one because of fuelwood shortages. (In: Bechtel, 2010).

Dependence on natural resources is central to the livelihoods of many rural communities and degradation of ecosystems because of the failure to manage resources has contributed to increased poverty. Conversely there is an opportunity to alleviate poverty by restoring and maintaining the health of ecosystems on which these communities depend. Examples of common property or open access resources that are threatened with over-exploitation and loss of biodiversity include among others habitats such as mountain ecosystems, range lands, wetlands, coastal areas, and forests. Thus gender and poverty considerations cut across all thematic areas of biodiversity conservation and will be integral component of the relevant strategies and action plans.

12. Mainstreaming Biodiversity in National Planning and Policy Processes

12. 1. Context

The fate of natural ecosystems to a large extent depends on a wide range of national policies and programmes for economic development or conversely due to lack of polices and plans that aim to advance environmental objectives. This is particularly true for development of roads, urbanization and industrial development in coastal areas and near inland waters, diversion of river water for agriculture and development of water storage dams. Therefore incorporation of biodiversity values into national accounting and reporting systems is necessary to limit the unintended negative consequences of policy decisions on biodiversity. The landless and small landholders and rely for subsistence on goods derived from ecosystems that include firewood, forage, and non-timber forest products. Loss of biodiversity increases the workload of women and children and contributes to poverty. Mainstreaming of biodiversity values in national policies and plans across different sectors depends on the identification, demonstration and use of values in their various forms.


Biodiversity values are not included in the national reporting and the national accounting system of Pakistan. This is primarily due to lack of appropriate valuation of biodiversity, impact of its loss on livelihoods of the poor, and how restoration of ecosystem goods and services can contribute to poverty alleviation. Therefore demonstration of the benefits of investing in conservation and restorations, and the potential contribution for meeting a wider range of economic and policy objectives will be required before values of biodiversity get integrated into planning processes

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and national accounting and reporting systems. Furthermore, mainstreaming requires a sustained effort, over several years and on several fronts is likely to occur irregularly within and across sectors.

12. 3. Strategies

The following strategies shall be adopted for mainstreaming biodiversity considerations in national policies and plans and poverty alleviation programmes:

12. 4. Action

The specific measures are proposed to implement the strategies and contribute to the ABTs:

13. Terrestrial Ecosystems

13. 1. Context

Pakistan is bestowed with a rich natural heritage of biodiversity due to diverse physiography, soil types and the climate. Terrestrial biomes of Pakistan range from desert in the south to the mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Karakorum, and Hindu Kush in the north and west. Of the total land area, 62.7% area constitutes wilderness – the area that is neither suitable for agriculture nor for commercial forestry. The area comprises of deserts, arid lands and mountains. While a small percentage of these lands are privately owned, majority of the area is either communally owned or state lands with undefined tenure. There is no management authority for these lands and the predominant

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Strategies:

1. Technical and administrative capacity will be developed for valuation of biodiversity using low cost tools and methods that in addition to economic values recognize social and cultural values.

2. Biodiversity valuation studies shall be undertaken and demonstration projects initiated in ecosystems where people rely heavily on biodiversity for subsistence.

3. The NBSAP shall be adopted as a policy document and a stakeholder Biodiversity Round Table established for mainstreaming biodiversity in policies, plans, and reporting and accounting systems.

Actions:1. The revised NBSAP will be adopted by 2015, as a policy instrument by the national, provincial and

regional governments and implementation and monitoring mechanisms shall be put in place. (ABT 17

2. A biodiversity conservation policy shall be formulated by 2017, and adopted.(17)3. Develop low cost tools and methods by 2016 for valuation of biodiversity that in addition to economic

value recognize the social and cultural values. (ABT 2)4. Undertake studies on valuation of biodiversity in at least five major ecosystems by 2018. (ABT 2)5. By 2020, demonstrate economic, social and cultural benefits of restoration and sustainable use of

biodiversity in at least five major biomes. (ABT 2)6. By 2020, build the capacity of national, provincial, and regional institutions to incorporate biodiversity

in their accounting and reporting systems. (ABT 2)7. The financial resources from all sources will be mobilized by 2018, for a substantial increase from the

current levels for effective implementation of the NBSAP (ABT 20)8. A Biodiversity Round Table comprising of Planning Commission, Ministry of Food Security, Science

and Technology, Culture and Tourism, and Climate change shall be constituted by 2016 for integration of biodiversity considerations into their policies and plans. (ABT 2)

9. A national consensus will be built by 2018 for signing the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization. (ABT 16)


land use of the area is grazing and fuel wood collection. The ecological health of these ecosystems has not been assessed, but it can be safely said that the ecosystems are heavily degraded due to open access an ever increasing anthropogenic pressure. These ecosystems make significant contribution to the livelihoods of the landless and poor, making significant contributions to the national economy with a potential for economic development and growth. A 2006 World Bank report estimates a loss of seven billion rupees as a consequence of degradation and deforestation of natural ecosystems. Despite the economic significance of these assets, there are no valuation studies of biodiversity to influence investments for restoration of biodiversity and alleviation of poverty.Two terrestrial ecosystems of Pakistan are included in the list of global 200 priority ecosystems of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. These ecosystems and their conservation status are shown in table 1.

Table 1. Terrestrial ecosystems of Pakistan included in Global 200 Eco-Regions

Global 200 Eco-region Conservation Status Representation in PA System

Western Himalayan Temperate Forests

Critical or endangered Adequate

Tibetan Plateau Steppe Vulnerable Adequate

There are a large number of species of flora and fauna with a restricted range are found in Pakistan. Among the plant species, five monotypic genera (Douepia, Sulaimania, Kurramiana, Wendelboa and Spiroseris) and 400 species belonging to 169 genera and 45 families occur in Pakistan (Ali, 2008) are restricted to northern and western mountains. The fauna includes some endemic mammals like Indus River Dolphin (EDGE10), the Balochistan Forest Dormouse, and the Pale Gray Shrew (IUCN Red List). The Balochistan Pygmy Jerboa (Rodent-Info.net) represents an endemic genus. The Woolly Flying Squirrel Eupetaurus cinereus (WWF Pakistan), the sole member of its genus, may survive only in Pakistan. The Punjab Urial (WWF Pakistan) has recently been elevated to a full species, while the Chiltan Wild Goat Capra aegagrus chialtanensis (Wildlife of Pakistan) is an endemic subspecies. Except for a few species (Snow Leopard, Wooly Flying Squirrel, Indus Dolphin, Markhor, Himalayan Ibex, Blue Sheep, Urial, Black buck and Chinkara.


There has been no systematic mapping and description of the ecosystems of Pakistan. Roberts (1991), based on secondary sources of information, divided the habitats into 17 vegetation types based on physiognomy, while Ahmed and Ahmad (2000) recognized 17 ecosystems based on the NOAA satellite imagery. Pakistan is endowed with many endemic species of flora and fauna and a large number of relatives of crops found in the wild. There has never been a comprehensive national assessment of biodiversity, its status, and trends in Pakistan, and no efforts have been made to conserve the species that are threatened with extinction.

In Pakistan, the wildlife related laws have primarily focused on regulating hunting, shooting, and protection of game species. Similarly some laws and rules were made to regulate harvesting of non woody plants of economic importance, for example mazri (Nannorrohps ritchiana). In recent years, trade in all kinds of non-game species of fauna has increased and many attempts have been made to smuggle live species with heavy mortality during transit. Attempts have also been made to export some species or their parts under false certificates. Some recent examples of such incidents that came in news include fresh water turtles, turtle meat, different reptiles, and even insets like scorpion. Some of these species are included in various CITES appendices, but none at the request on Pakistan. Many species of fauna and flora on CITES appendices are abundant in Pakistan, and can be safely harvested under proper management.

The work on establishment of a network of game reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, and national parks started in 1974 and since then the numbers of such areas have steadily increased. The initial selection of sites for notification as game reserves and wildlife sanctuaries was not based on any ecological considerations but comprised of sites well known for game hunting. Except for stricter enforcement of wildlife laws to control hunting, none of these sites, except

10 http://www.edgeofexistence.org/about/default.php

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a few national parks, are managed under a plan. However, a few habitats of endangered but high value trophy species are being successful managed by local people and communities.

Protected areas are established to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. The protected area list of Pakistan is comprised of all game reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, and national parks spread over approximately 11% of the area of Pakistan. The protected area system review (Grigoriev and Ahmed, 2000) found that many protected areas of Pakistan do not meet the globally accepted criteria, and a study on Protected Areas gap Analysis (Ahmed, 2012) undertaken found many representation, ecological and management gaps in the protected area system of Pakistan.

13. 3. Strategies

The following strategies shall be adopted to fill the gaps in the protected areas and recovery of population of threatened species, implement the CBD programme of work on protected areas, and the ABTs.

13. 4. Actions

The following actions will be taken to implement the strategies and make contributions to the ABTs.

14. Forest Ecosystems

14. 1. Context

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Strategies

1. The institutional and regulatory framework will be improved to address the challenges of the 21st century for conservation of biodiversity, its sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits.

2. The natural habitats will be conserved through the expansion and effective management of a network of protected areas and integrated with the landscapes through community empowerment.

3. The knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity, its values, functioning, status and trends will be improved and conservation status of known threatened species will be improved

Actions:

1. Institutional effectiveness and efficiency of the Directorate of Biodiversity shall be enhanced by 2017 to ensure effective management and monitoring of the biodiversity resources. (ABT 17)

2. A biodiversity conservation policy shall be formulated, and adopted by 2017. (ABT 17)3. A policy and guidelines for trade in species of flora and fauna including those listed on CITES

appendices shall be prepared and widely disseminated by 2017. (ABT 12) 4. A national list of protected areas comprised of only those sites that meet the internationally recognized

definition of a protected area shall be prepared by 2016. (ABT 11)5. The protected areas network shall be expanded by 2018 to complete representation of ecosystems and

habitats especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity. (ABT 11)6. An integrated landscape management pilot project will be launched by 2018 in at least three different

sites of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem service to test the efficacy of positive incentives that would significantly reduce and ultimately halt the degradation and fragmentation of areas. (ABT 3)

7. Pakistan’s natural habitats will be defined and mapped by 2016 for assessing the biodiversity status and to identify conservation priorities and opportunities. (ABT 19).

8. Recovery plans are prepared and implementation to improve the conservation status of at least six selected threatened faunal species. (ABT 12).


The forests of Pakistan are grouped into five physiognomic classes – Conifers, scrub, riverine, mangroves, and plantations. The natural forests represent diverse ecosystems including the Western Himalayan Temperate Forests – one of the global 200 priority ecosystems. In addition Balochistan has world’s second largest compact forest of Juniper, of its kind considered living fossils. While all forest ecosystems are threatened, the edible pine nut –Pinus gerardiana forests, found primarily in the community controlled areas are under serious threats of disappearing due to logging by local people as a means of supporting livelihoods.

A wide variety of medicinal plants grow in abundance in temperate forests of western Himalayan and Hindukush mountain ranges. A survey by Pakistan Forest Institute (1989), reported that 500 tons of medicinal plants are produced in Hazara and Malakand, 16 tons in Murree Hills, 38 tons in Azad Kashmir and about 24 tons in Gilgit-Baltistan (In: Gilani, et al. 2013). These plants are collected from the wild, dried and processed and sold in the local markets or exported to other countries.

The area of different forest types and percent annual change in cover over 5 and 10 year period is given in table.2 (PFI, 2004).

Table 2. The change in area of different forest types 1992-2004.

Forest Type Forest Cover(‘000 ha) Rate of change %1992 1997 2001 5Yr 10Yr

Conifer 1913 1479 1512 4.54(-) 2.09(-)Scrub 1191 1652 1323 7.74(+) 1.11(+)Riverine 173 144 150 3.35(-) 1.33(-)Mangrove 207 159 158 4.64(-) 2.37(-)Plantation 103 165 174 12.04(+) 6.89(+)Total Forest 3587 3599 3317 0.06(+) 0.75(-)Rangeland 28505 22645 23546 4.11(-) 1.74(-)Total Types 32092 26244 26863 3.64(-) 1.63(-)

Although the stated objectives of forest management include multiple uses, for example, ecosystem services like water, clean air, non-timber forest products, recreation, and meeting needs of local people, yet in actual reality the focus has always been on logging on sustained yield principles. The degraded forests are set aside for protection and sometimes natural regeneration is assisted by seeding and planting saplings. Harvesting of medicinal plants and mushrooms is ether regulated through permits for a fee or royalty, or rights for collection are auctioned. The ecosystem approaches and biodiversity considerations have not been mainstreamed in forestry in Pakistan.

14. 2. Issue and Trends

There is no credible data of forest cover in Pakistan. The official statistics of forest area represent the physical area and not the forest cover. The Forestry Sector Master Plan (FSMP) Project, 1993, reported the forest cover at 4.2 million ha which represents 4.8 percent of the of the total land area. The Economic Survey of Pakistan (2001-02) shows that forest area has increased over the time, from 3.46 million ha in 1990 to 3.79 million ha in 2002. In contrast, FAO in State of Forests (2001), reported the total forest area of Pakistan (sum of natural forests plus forest plantation) decreased from 2.75 million ha in 1990 to 2.36 million ha in 2000 or a 1.5% an annual rate of deforestation over a ten year period. On the other hand, The Asian Development Bank claims that forest cover dropped from 3.6% of the total land in 1990 to 3.2% of the total land in 1999. The Global Forest Watch initiative of the World Resources Institute (WRI) has reported that Pakistan lost 10,000 ha of forest between the years 2000 to 2012 and gained less than 1000 ha in the same period in the form of plantations. Irrespective of the differences in reports on forest area or forest cover, one thing is obvious that the forestry capital of Pakistan is relatively small and the forest cover is shrinking due both to deforestation and degradation.

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The forests are like small islands in a vast ocean of rapidly growing population and consequently faced with a number of threats. In addition, in many forests, local communities are entitled to a percentage of share from sale of timber and thus they pressurize the government for logging. Due to short supply and growing demand for construction, prices of timber are high and timber mafia in collusion with the right holders indulges in all sorts of tactics for sale of timber including illegal logging practices. The people living near forests also depend on fuelwood for cooking and heating their homes in the winter. After having run out of fuelwood on their own or communal lands, the pressure is now on the forests. A recent study concluded that 80 percent of deforestation in KP was due to cutting of trees for fuel (Inter Cooperation, 2010. The local people also let their animals loose to graze in forest areas, which hampers natural regeneration due to trampling and browsing of seedlings. The magnitude of various threats estimated on a scale of 1 -10 in different forest types is shown in figure 9.

Many forests have been notified as protected areas under the wildlife laws which are administered by the Wildlife Departments. This has created conflict of interest between the two agencies, and so far there is no mechanism for joint management of such protected areas. Under the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 2005, Pakistan committed to increase its forest cover from 4.8 to 6.0 % by 2015. Pakistan is obligated to report on the status of forests in a transparent manner to various international conventions and UN agencies. WWF Pakistan has been entrusted with task of forest mapping to estimate the national forest cover based on district maps.

14. 3. Strategies

The following strategies and actions are proposed to address the above issues, implement the CBD Programme of Work on Forest Biological Diversity and contribute to the implementation of Aichi Biodiversity Targets 2011-2020.

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Figure 3. Level of various threats in different forest types.

Strategies

1. An enabling institutional environment will be created for mainstreaming biodiversity considerations in the forestry sector policy and planning processes so as to provide a sound basis for conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity.

2. The forest biological diversity including the ecosystem services shall be protected and restored through adoption of an ecosystem approach for management of all types of forests.

3. The knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to forest biodiversity, its values, functioning, status and trends will be improved to prevent loss of forest biodiversity, and mitigation measures adopted including reform of the rights and concessions of local people.


14. 4. Action

The following actions will be taken to implement the strategies and contribute to the achievement of ABTS.

15. Inland and Coastal Wetland Ecosystems

15.1. Context

The inland water ecosystems of Pakistan comprise of streams, rivers, numerous natural lakes, manmade reservoirs, Indus river delta and wetland complexes of the Indus basin. The lakes include high altitude alpine and glacial lakes, freshwater and saltwater lakes. The inland water resources of Pakistan are dominated by the Indus River System, comprising of the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej, all originating in Western Himalayas, flow from northeast to south and drain into Arabian Sea through the Indus Delta. Kabul River originating in Afghanistan drains into the Indus, near Attock. Other than the Indus River system, there are some small rivers in Balochistan province such as the Hub River, Gudri River, and the Nal River, all of which drain into the Arabian Sea on the Makran coast. Pakistan has one of the world's largest man-made canal irrigation systems, which consists of a number of large dams, barrages, and a network of irrigation canals and waterways. The following wetland ecosystems of Pakistan are included in the list of global 200 priority ecosystems of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (Table 3)

Table 3. Wetland ecosystems of Pakistan included in Global 200 Eco-regions.

.Global 200 Eco-region Conservation Status Representation in PA System

Rann of Kutch Flooded Grasslands Critical or endangered Adequate

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Actions

1. A forest classification system will be developed and maps prepared by 2016, using agreed international standards compatible with remote sensing technologies that include broad indicators of forest biodiversity. (ABT 19)

2. Representative forest areas of special importance for biodiversity will be designated as Forest Biodiversity Reserves by 2016 and effectively managed integrating with the wider landscapes. (ABT 11)

3. Suitable ecosystem approaches will be developed by 2016 for different forest types; and training workshops held for managers for their application. (ABT 7)

4. A baseline survey of the health (deforestation) and condition (degradation) of forests and its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services will be undertaken by 2017, using a GIS based system and monitored at regular intervals. (ABT 5)

5. A project will be developed by 2017 and implemented for piloting and demonstrating the ecosystem approach in three different forest ecosystems (ABT 7).

6. A pilot project will be launched by 2017 in different ecosystems to test collaborative forest management approaches for reducing the anthropogenic impacts and developing livelihoods of local people based on sustainable use of components of the biodiversity. (ABT 7)

7. Joint forest management projects will be developed and implemented by 2017 for carbon sequestration through reforestation of at least 15,000 ha of forests and 5,000 ha of community forests (ABT 15)

8. Forest and forest related laws and regulations will be reviewed by 2018 to provide a sound basis for conservation and sustainable use of forest biological diversity. (ABT 7)

9. The Code for the preparation of management plans shall be revised by 2018 to incorporate the ecosystem approaches for sustainable management of forests and biodiversity (ABT 7).

10. Landscapes that provide essential services related to water for major dams, and contribute to health; livelihoods and well-being of local communities will be restored by 2020 and safeguarded. (ABT 14)


Indus River Delta Critical or endangered Inadequate

The wetlands complex consists of a continuum of braided and meandering river channels, oxbow lakes and seasonally flooded depressions in the Indus basin. There is no accurate assessment of the total area of all the wetlands, but the wetland complex between the town of Chashma in the north and the city of Sukkur in the south is estimated to be 9,70011 km2. The streams and rivers are not only the lifeline of agriculture and hydropower generation, but also provide livelihoods to thousands of people through artisan fisheries, and serve as a refuge for large numbers of wintering migratory birds. Around 225 places have been identified and listed as significant wetland sites, which are distributed all over the Pakistan from sea coast in the south to high mountains in the north. Major wetlands are shown in figure 10.

Pakistan has more than 670 species of birds, of which one third are water birds, with most of these being migratory species, including geese, ducks, swans, waders and other water birds. Species that require urgent attention include Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus, Sarus Crane Grus antigone, Dalmatian Pelican Pelicanus crispus, Sociable Plover Vanellus gregarius, Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus and Pallas’s Fish Eagle Heliaeetus leucoryphus.

The fish fauna is distributed in these water bodies according to the optimum requirements of the physic-chemical factors of these water bodies. The freshwater fish fauna consists of 198 species, including 12 introduced species. The fish fauna is predominantly south Asian, with some west Asian and high Asian elements. Fish fauna found in the northern areas of Pakistan comprises of 20 species and is completely High Asian component restricted only to the Gilgit Baltistan province of the country. Major component of the fish fauna especially the warm water fishes are restricted to the Indus plain comprising about 140 fish species. The genus Schistura is restricted to sub-mountain areas while the genus Triplophysa is mainly confined to high altitude areas of the country. The snow trout are found in the Himalayas, Hindukush and Karakoram mountain ranges and not represented in the Indus plain. Other than sport fishing, fishing rights in inland waters are auctioned every year for duration of the fishing season. The rainbow trout and brown trout are a potential threat for the highly specialized local cold water fish fauna. The introduction of Tilapia fishes is a real threat to the local fish fauna of warm waters.

Aquaculture is a rather recent activity in Pakistan and is still in its infancy and the fish fauna is rich but only seven warm water species and two cold water species are cultivated on a commercial scale. Trials experimenting with shrimp culture have been carried out in the Indus delta region but it did not succeed due to the non-availability of hatchery-produced seed. With the exception of trout culture in KP and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), virtually all aquaculture currently carried out in Pakistan is pond culture of various carp species. In the past, most fish farmers stocked their ponds only with indigenous species such as catla (Catla catla), rohu (Labeo rohita), mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio). More recently, two fast growing species, the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), have been introduced for culture to increase the fish yield per unit area. These two species have good economic values; have gained a reputation and became popular amongst the producers as well as consumers. Two species of trout namely brown trout (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are cultured in KP, AJK and GB.

11 http://www.wwfpak.org/ecoregions/CentralIndusWetlandsComplex.php

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Figure 4. Map of Pakistan showing major wetlands.

While many lakes in the highlands have no management at all, the rivers, manmade reservoirs, canals are managed for irrigation and hydropower generation by Irrigation Departments and Water and Power Development Authority respectively. The fishing and hunting are regulated by the Fisheries Department and Wildlife Departments. All these agencies act independently without and coordination. The discharge of industrial effluent and municipal waste and untreated water are serious threats to the health and condition of aquatic life. Diversion of water for agriculture and construction of dams for hydropower generation have resulted in drying up of many wetlands and created impediments for fish migration. Overfishing, and use of destructive fishing methods including illegal nets, and dynamite and poison fishing are other serious threats.

15. 2. Issue and Trends

Pakistan is a range country of the Central Asian Flyway (CAF). There is an urgent need for science-based and internationally coordinated conservation measures, ensuring the survival of species and their habitats as well as sustainable benefits to people Of the major wetlands, only 46 sites have some sort of protected status in the form of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and game reserves. Pakistan ratified the Ramsar Convention in 1975 and 15 wetlands of international importance have been designated as Ramsar Sites. Pakistan prepared an action plan for conservation of wetlands in 2000 but not implemented. The CMS Action Plan (2008) for CAF provides the basis for the 30 Range States to take individual and coordinated region-wide activities to conserve water birds and their habitats. It covers 175 species of divers, grebes, pelicans, cormorants, herons, storks, ibises, flamingos, geese, cranes, rails, sun grebes jacanas, crab plovers, oystercatchers, stilts and avocets, pratincoles, plovers, scolopacids, gulls and terns. Thirteen of the species are listed on Appendix I of the Convention.

The Action Plan contains provisions for species and habitat conservation, single species action plans and emergency measures. Priority issues for conservation of migratory water bird and their habitats, include the lack of information on

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Disputed Territory


population status and trends of water birds, information on precise migration routes of populations, limited capacity of local agencies and communities to monitor and manage wetlands and the need to balance the needs of conservation against the needs of local people. A draft policy for conservation and sustainable use wetlands biodiversity was prepared in 2010, but has not been approved as yet.

The conservation and sustainable use of wetlands received first comprehensive attention through a GEF project “ Pakistan Wetland Programme” which started implementation in 2005 with a focus on creating enabling environment through establishment of sustainable institutions; enhancing planning and land-use decision-making; development, adoption and implementation of a National Wetlands policy; enhancing the technical competence of government agencies and communities; raising nation-wide wetlands awareness; and securing long-term financial sustainability of wetlands conservation initiatives. In response to the need to generate practical, replicable examples of viable wetlands conservation practice in Pakistan, four demonstration sites were established by the Project in different eco-regions for development. The sites included Makran Coastal Wetlands Complex, Central Indus Wetlands Complex, Salt Range Wetlands Complex, and Northern Alpine Wetlands Complex. The Indus wetland complex in Sindh also received attention through WWF’s programme called “Indus for All” launched in 2007. The programme addressed the issues of natural resource management, pollution, sea erosion, and loss of species, deforestation, hunting of birds and animals, and poverty.

15. 3. Strategies

While basic foundation for conservation and sustainable use of wetlands biodiversity has been laid, the efforts need to be continued to achieve fruitful results. The following strategies and actions are designed to implement the CBD programme of Work “Inland Waters Biodiversity” and Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

15. 4. Actions

The following actions will be taken to implement the above strategies and contribute to the ABTs.

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Strategies

1. Conservation of fish and other aquatic organisms, and equitable sharing of benefits shall be ensured through sustainable management of fisheries by incorporating biodiversity considerations in the legal, regulatory and policy frameworks of coastal and marine fisheries sectors.

2. Appropriate measures shall be taken to prevent the introduction of freshwater invasive species and control their spread to other areas, and where feasible, invasive alien species will be eradicated in habitats of significant biological diversity.

3. The objectives of sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture, and equitable sharing of benefits are achieved through strengthening capacity of all stakeholders.


16. Coastal and Marine Ecosystems

16. 1. Context

Pakistan’s sea-coast lying between Sir Creek in Sindh and Jiwani in Baluchistan measures 1098 km, with 768 km in Balochistan and 330 km in Sindh province. Three coastal and marine ecosystems of Pakistan are included in the Global 200 Priority Ecosystems (Table 4). The ecosystems are comprised of the Arabian Sea (Figure 1112), sandy and rocky beach ecosystems, estuaries, coastal lagoons, backwaters, and recently discovered corals in Astola Island. The mangrove vegetation over 86,727 ha (IUCN, 2005) is mainly restricted to river estuaries with scattered patches along the coast. Although mangroves play a useful ecological role, their economic value is not well documented. Flora of Pakistan has reported eight species of mangroves; however Avicennia marina is the most predominant species in mangroves of Pakistan

Table 4. Global 200 eco-regions represented in Pakistan

12 :http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/arabiansea.htm)

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Actions

1. A mechanism will be created by 2016 for coordination among agencies responsible for managing water, fish, and wildlife resources in wetlands. (ABT 6)

2. The inland Fisheries laws and regulations will be updated and appropriate policy instruments formulated by 2017 to incorporate biodiversity considerations, and equitable sharing of benefits from sustainable fisheries. (ABT 6)

3. A baseline survey will be undertaken by 2017 to assess the biodiversity of key inland wetlands and establish a system to monitor the status of species most in decline at regular intervals (ABT 19).

4. At least 7 major inland wetlands of national biodiversity significance shall be declared protected areas by 2019 and together with the surrounding landscapes managed effectively. (ABT 11)

5. The institutional capacity of fisheries departments will be strengthened by 2016 for effective enforcement of laws against illegal and destructive fishing practices. (ABT 6)

6. The pathways for spread of alien freshwater species from hatcheries and aquaculture into natural habitats will be studied by 2017 and appropriate controls will be put in place to control their spread. (ABT 9).

7. Studies will be undertaken by 2020 to assess the impact of alien freshwater species in selected natural habitats of biodiversity significance. (ABT 9)

8. A procedure shall be designed by 2017 and implemented for sustainable harvest of inland fish stock for minimizing impacts on threatened species and vulnerable habitats. (ABT 6)

9. The capacity of all stakeholders shall be built by 2017 for conservation of aquatic biodiversity and sustainable management of habitats. (ABT 6)

10. Plans will be prepared by 2017 and implemented for recovery of depleted freshwater fish species. (ABT 12)

Figure 5. Map showing Arabian Sea.


Global 200 Eco-region Conservation Status Representation in PA System

Rann of Kutch Flooded Grasslands Critical or endangered AdequateIndus River Delta Critical or endangered In adequateArabian Sea Critical or endangered No representation

A 20 km stretch of beaches in Hawkes Bay and Sandspit are nesting grounds of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea). In Balochistan, there are three major green turtle nesting sites: Ormara, Astola (Haft Talar) Island (a small, uninhabited island about 6 km in length) and the Jiwani. In addition, a small population also nests on the beaches of Hingol National Park to the east of Ormara. Nesting and hatching of green turtles takes place all year round, with peak nesting in November and peak hatching in October.

Climate change is a global issue, that can adversely impact the lives of the poor and marginalized communities especially in developing or least developed countries, and Pakistan is no exception. In Pakistan the average annual temperature has increased by 0.120C, and the annual rise in sea level is estimated at 1.1 mm causing more rainfalls, sea intrusion, impacting agricultural output and extreme flooding.


The coastal and marine biodiversity faces numerous threats, some of which require action at national level while the other requires global action. The marine fisheries are a direct source of livelihood for over a million people comprising more than 125,000 households. There are approximately 15,000 fishing vessels of various sizes ranging from small to medium-sized boats, large launches and trawlers engaged in fishing. The boats are used for fishing in creeks and within the 12-mile territorial limit which falls under provincial jurisdiction. The larger launches go into deeper waters on extended fishing excursions. Most of the fish catch is exported with little value addition. The species exported are mainly shrimp (65%) and the rest are Indian mackerel, ribbon-fish, tuna, sole and crab. Over-fishing, including during the breeding season (June–August), has led to a steep decline in shrimp catches. Sardines are caught as trash fish and converted into chicken feed.

Anthropogenic influences include excess nutrient input resulting in eutrophication, anoxic conditions and fish kill events The Indus Delta is heavily polluted by a variety of industrial effluents, sewage, solid waste and nutrient-enriched irrigation water. The mounting pressure of the rapidly increasing population has also led to the clearing of mangrove areas for industrial and agricultural purposes as well as for urban expansion. Marine turtles in Pakistan face multiple threats, of which the major threats are egg predation and incidental catch in fishing craft. Turtles have also died due to oil pollution from vessels. Other threats include depredation on green turtle hatchlings by sea gulls, crows, foxes, jackals and stray dogs takes an additional toll. The development of Gwadar as a port city and the operation of the Gwadar port is likely to take away many of the small beaches that serve as nesting habitats for the turtles in the locality.

The socio-economic problems cannot be dealt with laws alone and experience has shown that a ban on fishing to promote conservation is not a feasible option. The communities who depend on fishing for their livelihoods traditionally had open access rights to the fisheries. Therefore policy measures to address the problem of biodiversity loss must integrate access rights and community-based management in the fishery management and conservation plans. The fisher folk usually have the knowledge of the resources and their use and can take measures to perform the necessary management functions such as limiting entry, fishing gear regulation, collection of resource rent, and benefit distribution. Marine protected areas that are off limits to fishing and limit local pollution may help raise the resilience of local ecosystems to climate change and ocean acidification. Protected areas can benefit both fisheries and tourism by preserving important spots of marine biodiversity and fish spawning grounds.

According to Oceana (2012) Pakistan is among the top five countries least adaptable and 8th most vulnerable nations to food security threats from climate change and ocean acidification. The adaptation to changing ocean conditions, marine fisheries need to be healthy by reducing overfishing and bycatch. This would require sustainable fisheries based on the status of fish stocks, setting catch limits on target species and creating long-term bycatch reduction plans and stopping destructive fishing techniques such as bottom trawling. Climate change threatens the coastal

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communities in Pakistan due to lack of coastal resilience to cyclones. The Climate Risk Index (CRI) for 2012 ranked Pakistan at number eight as the most affected country by climate change, and its impact could drive the already economically unstable country further into poverty. The oceans absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions each day resulting in decline in their pH and change in ocean chemistry, called ocean acidification, is already threatening habitats like coral reefs, and the future of shellfish

In addition to climate change, progressive upstream diversion of Indus waters and the gradual depletion of freshwater discharges and accompanying reduction in silt load is increasing salinity in Indus delta. The Development Review by Government of Sindh (2009) reported that fresh water discharge from Indus declined from 49 trillion gallons 60 years ago to 0.24 trillion gallons in 2006. In the absence of a considerable volume of such flows there is no decelerating factor to check sea intrusion. IUCN (2003) estimated that the sea had intruded 54 km upstream along the main course of the River Indus, Sindh.

16. 3. Strategies

The various turtle conservation initiatives, reforestation of mangroves, the GEF funded wetlands project. Indus for All programme of WWF and Mangroves for Future of IUCN laid the foundation for conservation and sustainable use of wetlands biodiversity. However, the efforts need to be scale up to prevent loss of biodiversity and make adaptations for impending impacts of climate change, especially to protect the poor and marginalized. The following strategies and actions are designed to implement the CBD programme of Work “Inland Waters Biodiversity” and Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

16. 4. Actions

The following actions are proposed to implement the strategies and implementation of ABTs in Pakistan.

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Strategies

1. The coastal and marine biodiversity shall be conserved and made resilient to climate change through a system of protected areas, and specific conservation measures aimed at recovery of populations of species most in decline.

2. The coastal and marine biodiversity resources will be conserved and used in a sustainable manner through capacity development of coastal fishing communities.

3. The coastal and marine fisheries regulatory and institutional framework will be improved to address the challenges of the 21st century for conservation of biodiversity, its sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits.


17. Sustainable Agriculture and Agrobiodiversity

17. 1. Context

Agricultural sector is a vital source of economic growth for Pakistan contributing approximately 22% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), accounting for over 60% of exports, and employs more than 60% of the rural labor force. The crops including fruits and vegetables and livestock contribute in almost equal proportions to the agriculture’s contribution to economy. Out of 79.61 mha of total area of Pakistan, about 22 mha is cultivated of which 75.5 per cent of this area is under irrigation, and the remaining area is dryland agriculture. Dryland agriculture is synonymous with rainfed (barani) conditions, where land holdings are small and often fragmented. Dryland rainfall (125–1000 mm) is bimodal, mainly (~60%) monsoonal and highly erratic. Rainfed areas are sub-humid (>500 mm), semi-arid (300–500 mm), and arid (<300 mm).

The main crops of irrigated agriculture are cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables, in addition to milk, beef, mutton, and eggs. Dryland crops include wheat, chickpea, sorghum, millet, barley, maize, lentil, peanut, rapeseed-mustard, and guar seed. Almost all of the irrigated areas are cultivated with high yielding varieties with a heavy input of agro-chemicals. The irrigation practices are antiquated and excessive use of water is not only causing shortage of canal water, causing water logging and salinity, and in arid regions depleting of aquifers through pumping of ground water. Despite an impressive increase in agriculture production in last three decades, it has not resulted in improving the living standards of the rural population to the extent desired (GOP Vision 2030). The dilemma is that being an agricultural country, Pakistan is a net importer of agricultural commodities with annual imports total about US$2 billion and include wheat, edible oils, and consumer foods. About 68 percent of the farmers hold less than two ha of land which constitutes 22 percent of the cultivated area (PBS Agriculture Census 2010).

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Actions

1. Laws, regulations, and policies shall be updated or formulated by 2016 incorporating biodiversity concerns and effective management of coastal and marine fisheries on sound ecological basis and to prevent threat of extinction of utilized species. (ABT 6)

2. Institutional effectiveness and efficiency of the Sindh and Balochistan Fisheries Departments and Directorate of Marine fisheries shall be enhanced by 2020 to ensure effective management and monitoring of the coastal and marine biodiversity (ABT 4)

3. . An assessment of stocks and limits of sustainable harvest levels of major species is determined by 2016 and strictly enforced in coastal and marine habitats (ABT 4)

4. The population of known threatened marine species particularly of those most in decline shall be monitored regularly starting 2016 and remedial measures taken to improve and sustain their population (ABT 12).

5. A pilot project shall be prepared by 2017 and implemented to develop and test approaches to organize, empower, and build capacity of at least five different coastal communities for sustainable harvested of all fish and invertebrate stocks. (ABT 6)

6. At least three major coastal and marine protected areas will be established by 2017 integrating these in the wider landscapes and seascapes and managed effectively in an equitable manner on an ecosystem based approach. (ABT 11)

7. Indus delta will be sustainably managed through collaborative management following an ecosystem approach by 2018 to conserve biodiversity and make sustainable use to safeguard the livelihoods and well-being of local communities. (ABT 14)

8. All mangrove forests shall be managed by 2018 on ecosystem approach under plans prepared and implemented jointly with custodial communities for restoration of degraded mangroves and their sustainable use. (ABT 5)

9. A Climate Change Adaptation Plans will be prepared by 2018 for the coastal areas and capacity of coastal communities developed to cope with the impacts of climate change. (ABT 10)

10. By 2020, the number of operating fleets will be capped to about 3,000 along Balochistan and 4,000 along Sindh coast. (ABT 6)


Pakistan has diverse agro climatic conditions and a good natural resource base for agriculture Pakistan is rich in indigenous crop diversity with an estimated 3,000 taxa of cultivated plants and around 500 wild relatives of cultivated crops. The northern and western Pakistan comprises one of the world centers on the origin and diversity of cultivated plants (BAP, 2000). Many wild and local cultivars survived in Pakistan up to the era of the Green Revolution. After the introduction of high-yield varieties, local cultivars are now rare to find on farms. Recognizing the importance of preserving crop genetic diversity, the government started collecting indigenous plant germ plasm in the early 1970s and today there are over 15,600 germ plasm accessions.

Livestock sector is the mainstay of farming communities and has an exclusive position in the national agenda of the economic development. Livestock is a source of livelihood at rural level, helping to reduce disparity in income, and provides security in case of any untoward eventuality of crop failure. It plays an important role in poverty alleviation and can uplift the socio-economic conditions of our rural masses. Livestock contribution to agriculture value added stood at 55.9 percent while it contributed 11.8 percent to the national GDP during 2013-14.

Pakistan livestock includes cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, camels, horses, asses and mules. The Indian subcontinent was one of the first places to domesticate cattle, buffalo and chicken. Pakistan now has two breeds of buffalo, eight of cattle, one of yak, 25 of goat, 28 of sheep, one of horse, four of camel, and three of indigenous poultry. The buffalo breeds Nili-Ravi, Azakheli, and Kundi are dairy breeds. Among the cattle, there are three dairy breeds (Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, and Cholistani), five draught breeds (Bhagnari, Dhanni, Dajal, Acahi, Gibrali, Lohani, and Rojhan) and one dual-purpose breed (Tharparkar or Thari). The pure-bred animals are believed to constitute only 20-25% of the cattle population. Of the sheep breeds, 14 are thick-tailed and 14 thin-tailed. Almost 75-80% of Pakistan’s domestic livestock breeds are derivatives of established breeds and the proportion of ‘non-descript’ livestock to pure stock is on the increase (BAP 2000).


The focus of agricultural policies in Pakistan has been on maximizing yields of crops and production of dairy and meat. Introduction of high yielding varieties and genetically modified crops, heavy use of agrochemicals, and introduction of exotic breeds of livestock and poultry, has been a big factor in eroding the natural heritage of agro biodiversity. Agricultural technologies that ensured a ‘green revolution’ in the middle of 20th century, have a high ecological cost, contribute pollution, and result in loss of biodiversity. To improve the environmental health and make agriculture sustainable, attention is being paid to the development of high productivities of plants and animals using their natural adaptive potentials, with a minimal disturbance of the environment.

The green revolution shifted the focus of agriculture from an agro ecosystems approach to a crop culture. Consequently important components of agro ecosystems like pollinators, soils microorganisms and predators of crop pests receive little or no attention. Pollinators are critical to the country’s economy, food security, and environmental health, however, indiscriminate spray of insecticides and loss of floral diversity has adversely affected population of pollinating insects. Consequently the yields of crops, vegetables and fruits dependent on pollination have declined in many parts in Pakistan (Irshad and Stephen, 2014). While bee-keeping is well developed in some parts of country, no serious effort has been made to restore natural pollinating fauna.

Fresh water resources had shrunk from about 5,000 cubic meters (m3) per capita in the early 1950s to less than 1,500 m3 per capita by early 2000. Pakistan is expected to become water scarce by 2035 - water availability below1, 000 m3 per capita (Kugleman and Robert, 2009). More than 90% of the water is used for agriculture to support one of the lowest productivities in the world per unit of water. Water shortages coupled with global warming pose serious threat to the food security of the country and livelihoods of people employed in this sector. The best water management practices and use of agro-chemicals must be developed and promoted for major crops to make agriculture sustainable and environment friendly. The Pakistan Sustainable Cotton Initiative (PSCI) has successfully demonstrated best water management practices and significant reduced applications of pesticides and fertilizers in cotton production without significantly affecting the yield13.

13 (http://www.wwf.org.uk/where_we_work/asia/pakistan___sustainable_cotton_production.cfm)

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Pakistan is the 8th most vulnerable country to climate change, and it is likely to impact the farming systems in Pakistan. Climate change will likely impact agricultural practices through more frequent water shortages, extreme weather events, flooding, and shifts in growing seasons. Siddiqui, et al (2012) have shown short and long term negative impact of climate change on production of for rice, cotton and sugarcane. The impact of climate change is likely to have more impact in mountains and arid regions where rainfed agriculture is practiced. Farmers and pastoralists have always had to cope with variability in the weather, but climate change will likely produce more permanent shifts in temperature and precipitation and we should be ready to adapt to new conditions.

17. 3. Strategies

In order address these issues and contribute to CBD programme of work on agrobiodiversity, and implement Aichi Biodiversity Targets 2010-2020, the following strategies are proposed.

17. 4. Actions

The following measures are proposed to translate the strategies into actions:

31

Strategies

1. Mainstreaming sustainable and biodiverse agriculture development into national policies, laws, investment strategies, education and extension programmes; raising of public awareness by full involvement of all concerned stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, technicians, extension specialists and agronomists.

2. Sustainable agriculture models for different crops and agro-ecological regions shall be developed and promoted particularly by managing organic matter, enhancing soil biotic activity, minimizing water losses and use of agro-chemicals.

3. Bio diversification of agro ecosystems to restore agricultural diversity in time and space to include crop rotations, cover crops, intercropping, crop/livestock mixtures, conservation of pollinators, soil biodiversity, and diversifying crops to adjust to changing temperature and precipitation patterns.

4. The use of transgenic organisms would be considered very carefully to ensure that they pose no environmental and health risks or at least no more than the use of current crops and practices.


18. Environmental Protection

Pakistan has experienced poorly regulated economic development which coupled with rapid demographic growth that has put acute pressure on the country’s natural resource base, especially land and water, and significantly increased levels of local pollution. Thus, the country is faced with serious environmental challenges, especially in the urban areas. Lack of waste management treatment and disposal of untreated sewage and industrial effluent in natural water bodies is not only a serious health hazard but also deteriorate water quality of fresh water and marine biodiversity.

An Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) was established to enforce the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, (PEPA) 1997, approve Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), and establishment of environment labs. Pak-EPA was mandated to prepare or revise, and establish the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) with approval of Pakistan Environmental Protection Council (PEPC); take measures to the prevention of pollution, protection of the environment, and sustainable development. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA) contained provisions for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and considerations were integrated in the EIA and IEE guidelines. However, after the 18th amendment in the constitution, the functions of Pak-EPA were delegated to the provinces.

18. 1. Strategies and Actions

To conserve and enhance the environment and protecting biodiversity, the following strategies and actions will be taken.

32

Actions

1. The national food security and nutrition security policy (NF&NSP) shall be reviewed by 2016 to incorporate considerations for sustainable agriculture, bio diversification of agro ecosystems, conservation of pollinators and soil biodiversity, use of transgenic organisms, and climate change. (ABT 13)

2. The gaps in the in-situ and ex-situ conservation of the agro biodiversity shall be assessed by 2017 and measures taken to fill the gaps (13)

3. Sustainable agriculture and bio diversification of agro ecosystems shall be integrated in the educational and extension programmes of agriculture by 2018. (ABT 1)

4. The diversity of local varieties and land races of crops, fruits, and breeds of livestock and poultry and local knowledge of their management shall be documented by 2017 and incentive measures provided for on farm conservation by 2018. (ABT 18)

5. Models of sustainable production of major crops with minimum external inputs and wise use of water shall be developed, tested, and demonstrated on farms by 2020. (ABT 7)

6. Models of bio diversification of agro ecosystems shall be developed, tested, and demonstrated in major agro ecological zones by 2020. (ABT 7)

7. Appropriate legislative and regulatory measures will be adopted to support the prevention, early detection, rapid response and eradication of invasive species.(ABT 9)

8. Important local varieties, land races and breeds shall be improved by 2020 through selection for resistance to disease, drought tolerance, and for increased production. (ABT 13)

Strategy: The environmental laws and regulations shall be strictly enforced to control pollution and ensure major economic development projects do not contribute to loss of biodiversity,


33

Actions:

1. The professional and operational capacity of Environment Departments will be strengthened by 2020 to enforce environmental laws and regulations especially safeguarding critical biodiversity habitats and well-being of people. (ABT 8)

2. Studies will be commissioned to assess water pollution and its impact on habitats of special biodiversity significance by 2016 and measures will be taken to control it to safe levels. (ABT 8)

3. At least 25 percent of the regular development budget will be dedicated for the implementation of the NBSAP targets. (ABT 20

4. Projects will be prepared by 206 to seek bilateral and multilateral donor support for fully achieving the NBSAP targets. (ABT 20)


III. IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING, AND EVALUATION

19. Introduction

A strategic plan, no matter how good it is, will not achieve the desired results if sits on the shelf, and failing to implement is not only waste of time in planning, but also hurts the organization, the team, and individuals. Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity is not only our international obligation but also a national need of preserving natural heritage, and ecological integrity of the environment we live in, and well-being of our people. Therefore the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) must be considered as part of the whole process of results, and all the efforts made in its preparation will go waste if not implemented. Effective implementation will require working with and building capacity of the stakeholders at national, provincial, regional and local levels; communicating reaching out to mainstream biodiversity values in the policy and planning processes, and for people to conserve and use it sustainably; and mobilizing resources for its implementation.

20. Implementation of NBSAP

A matrix showing of Achi Biodiversity targets showing proposed national actions, timelines, and funds required and agency responsible for implementation and monitoring indicators is given in annex 1. While many actions will be taken at the provincial or regional levels, there will be some cross cutting themes that will be best addressed at the national level. Implementation of ABTs at provincial and regional level will be through their own Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans prepared as part of the NBSAP revision process.

A Coordination Committee will be set up at the national level for coordination among Ministries, and to facilitate implementation of NBSAP in different federating units, monitor progress, assist in removal of bottlenecks is any, and provide guidance for resource mobilization, etc. Similarly, Steering Committees will be established in every federating unit for coordination among different sectors, facilitate cross-sectoral integration, monitor progress on implementation, and help in resource mobilization.

During the process of consultation with the stakeholders it was realized that most stakeholders lacked and understanding of the biodiversity and its values and therefore building their capacity for implementation of the NBSAP will be crucial for the achievements of the results. This will first require strengthening the capacity of the Biodiversity Directorate in the Ministry of Climate Change which will in turn build capacity of other stakeholders. This will be done through a serious of thematic workshops to increase their knowledge of biodiversity, the exchange of experience, enhance their understanding of the NBSAP, and train them in the use of relevant tools and mechanisms. The workshops will provide an opportunity for the stakeholders to identify ways and means of overcoming challenges in the implementation of NBSAP.

21. Communication and Outreach Strategy

Pakistan is the sixth most populous countries of the world, faced with the challenge of meeting the basic socioeconomic needs of the people and building basic physical infrastructure for coping with the needs of growing population. The limitations of financial resources and pressing needs for investments in socio economic sectors, the investments in biodiversity are likely to remain a low priority. However, in order to the unintended negative consequences of policy decisions on biodiversity, it is important that there must be a clear understanding of the values of nature and presenting sectors with evidence of these values and their beneficial role will provide enabling conditions for mainstreaming. Suitable training modules will be developed and introduced in the training programmes senior policy makers, planners and parliamentarians at the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), National Institute of Management (NIM), and Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Studies (PIPS).

In addition to training, mass and informal communication resources shall be mobilized for raising awareness and mainstreaming of biodiversity. This will include formation of a cadre of environmental journalists who act as ‘biodiversity champions’ for print media and supported to contribute articles to print media, produce audio messages for radio, and video clips for TV. The informal communications will focus on organizing a focus group comprising of ‘opinion leaders’ selected from amongst the policy makers, planners and politicians, who will spread the message in informal settings such as in the corridors of the workplace, or at social functions.

34


22. Plan for Resource Mobilization

Many actions of the NBSAP to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Targets will either neatly fit or will be accommodated in the existing development budget of various biodiversity related sectors at the national, provincial and regional levels. Simultaneously additional sources of funding shall be explored through innovative mechanisms available in the Ministry of Climate Change (MoC), and other on-going donor projects, for example, project for REDD+ Readiness, the System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR) allocation under the Global Environmental Facility, etc. In addition, bi-lateral and multilateral donor support shall be solicited to meet the short fall in the financial resources for achieving the ABTs in an effectively and timely manner.

23. National Coordination Mechanisms

The Ministry of Climate Change shall have the overall responsibility of coordinating implementation of the NBSAP through its Directorate of Biodiversity. The implementing partners will be the relevant ministries at the national level, the provincial and regional governments and major international conservation organizations like IUCN and WWF. Because of the diversity of sub-sectors at provincial and regional level, the Planning and Development or its designated Department shall be a focal point for the CBD, coordinate among various stakeholders and act as a liaison with the MoC. For the purpose of coordination with the implementing partners a Steering Committee shall be established as follows:

Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change ChairInspector General of Forests, Deputy ChairSecretary Food Security MemberSecretary, Planning and Development, Punjab MemberSecretary, Planning and Development, Sindh MemberSecretary, Planning and Development, KPK MemberSecretary, Planning and Development, Baluchistan MemberSecretary, Planning and Development, AJK MemberSecretary, Planning and Development, GB MemberSecretary, Planning and Development, FATA MemberSecretary, Planning Commission MemberIUCN Pakistan MemberWWF MemberDirector, Biodiversity, MoC Secretary

The Steering Committee shall meet at least once every year and its functions shall include but not limited to the following:

Suggest ways and means to ensure that biodiversity considerations are integrated in the policy and planning processes and poverty alleviation programmes

Ensure that the financial needs implementation of NBSAP receive due consideration during the process for allocation of funds;

Provide guidance to the stakeholders for effective implementation of the NBSAP; Review the plans and progress of stakeholders for implementation of the BSAP; Provide guidance and assistance in securing additional sources of funds from bilateral and multilateral

donors for implementation of the BSAP; Deliberate on all emerging issues related to conservation, sustainable use of biodiversity and equitable

sharing of benefits and provide appropriate advice to the government for policy decisions.

24. Clearing-House Mechanism

The government of Pakistan in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan with the support of GEF and UNEP launched Clearing House Mechanism website on the occasion of International day of Forest on March 7, 2013. It contained useful information of biodiversity in Pakistan, and measures implemented to conserve and make sustainable use of

35


biodiversity. However, the website remained active only for a short time because funding for its hosting expired, and since then it is has been off line. The opportunities for finding a suitable host for the CHM are being explored and it is hoped it will be functional and updated soon.

25. Monitoring and Evaluation

The progress on the implementation of the NBSAP shall be monitored on an annual basis through a flexible framework of indicators keeping in view the national circumstances and priorities. A framework based on indicative list of indicators contained in the annex to the CBD decision XI/3 is given in annex1. The monitoring will not only measure progress towards the achievement of NBSAPs and national targets, but also help in identification of implementation issues, and in adaptive management for effective implementation of NBSAP. An independent mid-term evaluation shall be commissioned, subject to availability of funds, to review the implementation of NBSAP and make recommendation for achieving the national targets in an effective and timely manner. Final evaluation of NBSAP will be combined with the preparation of 6th National report. The monitoring and evaluation reports will be presented to the National Steering Committee and Provincial Coordination Committees for their help in overcoming the obstacles in successful achievement of the targets. It will also form a basis for national and international reporting obligations as well as guide the national planning process. The monitoring and evaluation mechanism will be established within the first year of the adoption of the NBSAP

36


IV. REFERENCES

Aftab,, Z., Ali, L., Khan, A., Robinson, A., Irshad, I. 2000. Industrial policy and the environment in Pakistan. United nations Industrial Development Organization, Islamabad. 138 pp.

Ahmed, J. 2012. Ecological and Financial Gap Analysis of The Protected Areas - A Step towards Establishing a National System of Protected Areas. Report prepared for Government of Pakistan, IUCN – The World Conservation Union, Pakistan. (Unpublished)

Ahmed, J., and Ahmad, S. 2000. Vegetation zones of Pakistan, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Punjab, and Sind. IUCN, Pakistan. (unpulished). .

Ahmad, S. 2008 a. Keynote Address, paper presented to national conference on "Water shortage and future agriculture in Pakistan - Challenges and opportunities". Proceedings of the National Conference organized by the Agriculture Foundation of Pakistan. August 26-27, 2008, Islamabad, Pakistan

Ahmad. S. 2008 b. Scenarios of surface and groundwater availability in the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS) and planning for future agriculture. Paper contributed to the Report of the Sub-Committee on Water and Climate Change Taskforce on food security 2009, Planning Commission of Pakistan.

Ali, S. I. 2008. 2008. Significance of Flora with Special Reference To Pakistan. Pak. J. Bot., 40(3): 967-971,

Amjad, S. 1996. Coastal zones and marine fisheries. Background Paper for Biodiversity Action Plan. International Union for Conservation of Nature – IUCN, Islamabad, Pakistan. 29 pp.

Bechtel, J. D. 2010. Gender, Poverty and the Conservation of Biodiversity A Review of Issues and Opportunities MacArthur Foundation Conservation White Paper Series. 52 pp.

Gilani, S. A., S. K. Sherwani, R. A. Qureshi, A. M. Khan, and S. Sahreen.(2013). Medicinal Plants Diversity and its Indigenous use in Pakistan – Review Article. International Journal of Advanced Research, Vol. 1, Issue 5, 603-608.

GiZ. 2003. Sectoral Study of Capacities of Frameworks, Key Stakeholders and Institutions for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Biodiversity and Agro-biodiversity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Prepared by dev consult for GiZ -Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammena, Islamabad, Pakistan

GoP 2002. Pakistan Water Sector Strategy - National water sector profile, volume 5, October 2002, Office of the Chief Engineering Advisor, Ministry of Water and Power, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad. http://waterinfo.net.pk/cms/pdf/vol5.pdf

GoP. 2005. Forests & Biodiversity Information/Data Report. Ministry of Environment, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad. 60 pp + 5 appendices.

GoP. 2009. Land use Atlas of Pakistan. National Land use Project, Ministry of Environment, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad.

GoP. 2011. Agricultural Statistics of Pakistan 2010-2011. Statistical Bureau of Pakistan, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad. 272 pp.

GoP. 2012. National Sustainable Development Strategy – Pakistan’s Pathway to a Sustainable & Resilient Future. Ministry of Climate Change, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad. 66 pp.

GoP and IUCN. 1992. The Pakistan National Conservation Strategy. Pakistan: Government of Pakistan, Urban Affairs Division and IUCN Pakistan.

Grigoriev, P., and Ahmed, J. 2000. Protected Areas System Review of Pakistan. Prepared under Pakistan Environment Project, IUCN – The World Conservation Union, Pakistan, (Unpublished)

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Hasnain, T. 1999. Pesticide Use and Its Impact on Crop Ecologies: Issues and Options. SDPI Working Paper Series, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad.

Inter Cooperation. 2010. Study on harvesting ban in NWFP. Pak. Swiss Integrated Resource Management Project, Peshawar, Pakistan. 235pp.

Irshad, M., & Stephen, E. 2014. Review: Pollination, Pollinated and Pollinators Interaction in Pakistan. J. Bioresource Manage. 1(1) 19-25.

Khan, M. A., Munir, A., and Hassnain, S. H. 2012. Review of available knowledge on Land Degradation in Pakistan. ICARDA. 22 pp.

Kugelman, M. and Robert M. H. (eds). 2009. Running on Empty - Pakistan’s Water Crisis. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C. 181 pp.

PFI. 2004. National Forest and Rangeland Resource Assessment Study. Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar. 143 pp.

World Bank 2005. Pakistan Country Water Resources Assistance Strategy Water Economy: Running Dry’ The World Bank, Washington, D. C.

World Bank 2006. Pakistan; Strategic Country Environmental Assessment Report: Vol. I Main report. The World Bank. Report No. 36946-PK. 66 pp.

Peter, B. (ed). 1994. Pakistan: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress.

Siddiqui, R., G. Samad, M. Nasir, and Hanzla H. Jalil (2012) The Impact of Climate Change on Major Agricultural Crops: Evidence from Punjab, Pakistan. The Pakistan Development Review 51:4

UNIDO. 2000. Industrial Policy and the Environment in Pakistan. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Vienna, Austria.

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Annexure 1. Matrix showing Aichi Biodiversity Targets and National Actions

Thematic Area Actions Target

dateCost $ (millions)

Indicators for Monitoring

Responsible Agency

Strategic Goal A: Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society

Target 1: By 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably

Aw

aren

ess

of

Bio

dive

rsity

va

lues

1.1. Capacity of the Biodiversity Directorate will be strengthened to implement a well-planned biodiversity education and communication strategy to create public awareness of the value of biodiversity, and target high level policy makers, planners and administrators..

2016 1.0

Trends in awareness and attitudes

Trends in public engagement with biodiversity

Directorate of Biodiversity

Aw

aren

ess

of

Bio

dive

rsity

va

lues

1. 2. A focus group comprising of ‘opinion leaders’ representing print and audio-visual media shall be constituted to mobilize the media for raising awareness.

2016 0.25

Trends in communication programmes and actions


Aw

aren

ess

of

Bio

dive

rsity

va

lues

1. 3. A cadre of environmental journalists will be created to act as biodiversity champions’ for print media and make contributions to print media, produce audio messages for radio, and video clips for TV.

2017 0.25

Trends in communication programmes and actions


Aw

aren

ess

of

Bio

dive

rsity

va

lues

1. 4. A task forces comprising of CBD Focal Point, Ministries of Education and Science will be constituted to incorporate biodiversity in curriculum of universities, colleges and schools.

2017 0.25Trends in inclusion of biodiversity in curriculum

Directorate of Biodiversity, Ministry of Education

Aw

aren

ess

of

Bio

dive

rsity

va

lues

1. 5. Sustainable agriculture and bio diversification of agro ecosystems shall be integrated in the educational and extension programmes of agriculture by 2018.

2018 1.0Trends in farmers’ engagement with biodiversity

Ministry of Food Security

Target 2: By 2020, at the latest, biodiversity values have been integrated into national and local development and poverty reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into national accounting, as appropriate, and reporting systems

Mai

nstr

eam

ing

Bio

dive

rsity

2. 1 A support group comprising of ‘opinion leaders’ from among the policy makers and planners will be constituted to prepare and implement a strategy for increasing the biodiversity knowledge of decision makers and act as a change agent through informal communications..

2016 0.25

Numbers of opinion leaders and active and trends in biodiversity knowledge of decision makers.


39


Mai

nstr

eam

ing

Bio

dive

rsity 2. 2. Develop low cost tools and

methods by 2016 for valuation of biodiversity that in addition to economic value recognize the social and cultural values

2016 0.25 Tools and methods developed and tested


Mai

nstr

eam

ing

Bio

dive

rsity

2. 3. A Biodiversity Round Table comprising of Planning Commission, Ministry of Food Security, Science and Technology, Culture and Tourism, and Climate change shall be constituted for integration of biodiversity considerations into their policies and plans.

2016 0.25

Trends in integration of biodiversity values into sectoral and development policies


Mai

nstr

eam

ing

Bio

dive

rsity 2. 4. Build the capacity of

national, provincial, and regional institutions to incorporate biodiversity in their accounting and reporting systems

2016 0.25



Mai

nstr

eam

ing

Bio

dive

rsity

2. 5. The capacity of National School of Public Policy, National Institute of Management, National Defense College, and Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Studies will be built to incorporate biodiversity consideration in their training courses for decision makers of mid-career and senior managerial levels.

2017 0.25

The kind and number of courses that offer lessons on biodiversity values


Mai

nstr

eam

ing

Bio

dive

rsity

2. 6. Undertake studies on valuation of biodiversity in at least five major ecosystems.

2018 0.25

The number of studies completed and presented to Ministry of Finance.


Mai

nstr

eam

ing

Bio

dive

rsity 2.7. Demonstrate economic,

social and cultural benefits of restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity in at least five major biomes.

2020 3.0



Target 3: By 2020, at the latest, incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity are eliminated, phased out or reformed in order to minimize or avoid negative impacts, and positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are developed and applied, consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other relevant international obligations, taking into account national socio economic conditions

40


Nat

ural

Eco

syst

ems

3. 1. An integrated landscape management pilot project will be launched in at least three different sites of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem service to test the efficacy of positive incentives that would significantly reduce and ultimately halt the degradation and fragmentation of areas.

2018 2.5

Number and kind of positive incentives provided and their impact

Office of Inspector General of Forests

Target 4: By 2020, at the latest, Governments, business and stakeholders at all levels have taken steps to achieve or have implemented plans for sustainable production and consumption and have kept the impacts of use of natural resources well within safe ecological limits

Fish

erie

s 4.1. An assessment of stocks and limits of sustainable harvest levels of major species is determined and strictly enforced in coastal and marine habitats.

2016 0.5Safe ecological limits determined for harvest of species.

Directorate of Marine Fisheries

Fish

erie

s

4. 2. Institutional effectiveness and efficiency of the Sindh and Balochistan Fisheries Departments and Directorate of Marine fisheries shall be enhanced by 2020 to ensure effective management and monitoring of the coastal and marine biodiversity.

2020 1.0

Trends in proportion of utilized stocks outside safe biological limits.

Fisheries Departments, Baluchistan, Sindh, and Directorate of Marine Fisheries

Strategic Goal B: Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use

Target 5: By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced.

Fore

stry

5. 1. A baseline of the health (deforestation) and condition (degradation) of forests and its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services will be established using a GIS based system and monitored at regular intervals.

2017 0.25

Report on the assessment of health and condition of forests.

Forest Departments, all provinces, regions

Fore

stry

5. 2. All mangrove forests shall be managed by on ecosystem approach under plans prepared and implemented jointly with custodial communities for restoration of degraded mangroves and their sustainable use.

2018 1.00Trends in condition and vulnerability of mangroves.

Forest Department, Sindh & Baluchistan

Target 6: By 2020 all fish and invertebrate stocks and aquatic plants are managed and harvested sustainably, legally and applying ecosystem based approaches, so that overfishing is avoided, recovery plans and measures are in place for all depleted species, fisheries have no significant adverse impacts on threatened species and vulnerable ecosystems and the impacts of fisheries on stocks, species and ecosystems are within safe ecological limits.

Inla

nd

Fish

erie

s 6. 1. A mechanism will be created for coordination among agencies responsible for managing water, fish, and wildlife resources in wetlands.

2016 0.05

Trends in coordination and cooperation among various agencies.

Lead role Wildlife Departments, all provinces, regions

41


Inla

nd F

ishe

ries 6. 2. The inland fisheries laws

and regulations will be updated and appropriate policy instruments formulated by to incorporate biodiversity considerations, and equitable sharing of benefits from sustainable fisheries.

2017 0.1

The number of laws, regulations;and policies updated or formulated.

Fisheries Departments, all provinces & regions

Inla

nd

Fish

erie

s

6. 3. The institutional capacity of fisheries departments will be strengthened for effective enforcement of laws against illegal and destructive fishing practices.

2016 1.0

Trends in area, frequency, and/or intensity of destructive fishing practices.


Inla

nd

Fish

erie

s

6. 4. A procedure shall be designed and implemented for sustainable harvest of Inland fish stock for minimizing impacts on threatened species and vulnerable habitats.

2017 0.1Safe ecological limits determined for harvest of species


Inla

nd

Fish

erie

s 6. 5. Plans will be prepared and implemented for recovery of depleted freshwater species.

2017 1.0

Trends in extinction risk of target and bycatch aquatic species


Inla

nd

Fish

erie

s 6. 6. The capacity of all stakeholders shall be built for conservation of biodiversity and sustainable management of inland aquatic habitats.

2017 0.5

Trends in collaborative management of fisheries resources.

Fisheries Departments, all provinces, AJK, GB

Coa

stal

& M

arin

e Fi

sher

ies

6. 7. Laws, regulations, and policies shall be updated or formulated incorporating biodiversity concerns and effective management of coastal and marine fisheries on sound ecological basis and to prevent threat of extinction of utilized species.

2016 0.25

The number of laws, regulations;and policies updated or formulated.

Fisheries Department, Baluchistan & Sindh, Directorate of marine Fisheries

Coa

stal

Fi

sher

ies

6. 8. A pilot project shall be prepared and implemented to develop and test approaches to organize, empower, and build capacity of at least five different coastal communities for sustainable harvested of all fish and invertebrate stocks.

2017 1.0

Trends in active participation of communities in sustainable fisheries.

Fisheries Department, Baluchistan & Sindh.

Mar

ine

Fish

erie

s 6. 9. The number of operating fleets will be capped to about 3,000 along Balochistan and 4,000 along Sindh coast.

2020 1.5 Trends in numbers of fishing fleets.


Mar

ine

Fish

erie

s 6. 10. At least 1,500 fishing boats will be modified to improve the outdated fishing methods.

2020 1.5Trends in numbers of boats modified for improved fishing.


Target 7: By 2020 areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity

42


Fore

stry

7. 2. Suitable ecosystem approaches will be developed for different forest types; and training workshops held for managers for their application.

2016 0.5

Trends in development and training in ecosystems approaches

Pakistan Forest Institute

Fore

stry

7. 3. A project will be developed and implemented for piloting and demonstrating the ecosystem approach in different forest ecosystems.

2017 2.5

Trends in proportion of products derived from sustainable sources

ForestDepartments, KP, AJK, GB, Punjab

Fore

stry

7. 4. A pilot project will be launched in at least six different ecosystems to test collaborative forest management approaches for reducing the anthropogenic impacts and developing livelihoods of local people based on sustainable use of components of the biodiversity.

2017 2.5

Trends in anthropogenic impacts on forest ecosystems and forest based livelihoods developments.

Forest Departments, all provinces, AJK, GB

Fore

stry

7. 5. Forest and forest-related laws and regulations will be reviewed to provide a sound basis for conservation and sustainable use of forest biological diversity.

2018 0.1Trends in updating forest and forest related laws.


Fore

stry

7. 6. The Code for the preparation of management plans shall be revised by 2018 to incorporate the ecosystem approaches for sustainable management of forests and biodiversity.

2018 0.1Trends in adoption of revised Working Plan Code.

Pakistan Forest Institute

Agr

icul

ture

7. 7. Models of sustainable production of major crops with minimum external inputs and wise use of water shall be developed, tested, and demonstrated on farms.

2020 1.0

Trends in proportion of products derived from sustainable sources

Ministry of Food security

Target 8: By 2020, pollution, including from excess nutrients, has been brought to levels that are not detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity

Envi

ronm

ent 8. 2. Studies will be

commissioned to assess water pollution and its impact on habitats of special biodiversity significance and measures will be taken to control it to safe levels. (ABT 8)

2016 0.5

Number of studies completed and measures adopted to prevent pollution.

Environments Departments, all provinces, AJK, GB

Envi

ronm

ent

8. 1. The professional and operational capacity of Environment Departments will be strengthened by 2020 to enforce environmental laws and regulations especially safeguarding critical biodiversity habitats and well-being of people. (ABT 8)

2020 1.00

Trends in proportion of toxic solids wastewater discharged in aquatic habitats.

Environments Departments, all provinces, AJK, GB

Target 9: By 2020, invasive alien species and pathways are identified and prioritized, priority species are controlled or eradicated, and measures are in place to manage pathways to prevent their introduction and establishment

43


Fish

erie

s9. 1. The pathways for spread of alien freshwater species from hatcheries and aquaculture into natural habitats will be studied and appropriate controls will be put in place to control their spread.

2017 0.5

Trends in invasive alien species pathways management.


Fish

erie

s 9. 2. Studies will be undertaken to assess the impact of alien freshwater species in selected In natural habitats of biodiversity significance.

2020 0.5

Trends in the economic impact of invasive alien species and on extinction risk trends


Agr

icul

ture

9. 3. Appropriate legislative and regulatory measures will be adopted to support the prevention, early detection, rapid response and eradication of invasive species.

2018 1.0

Trends in the economic impact of invasive alien species and on extinction risk trends


Target 10:By 2015, the multiple anthropogenic pressures on coral reefs, and other vulnerable ecosystems impacted by climate change or ocean acidification are minimized, so as to maintain their integrity and functioning

Clim

ate

Cha

nge

10. 1. Climate Change Adaptation Plans will be prepared for the coastal areas and capacity of coastal communities developed to cope with the impacts of climate change, pollution, and overexploitation.

2018 0.5

Trends in pressures, pollution, climate change, and overexploitation.

Environment Departments, Sindh, Baluchistan

Strategic Goal C: To improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversityTarget 11. By 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes.

Prot

ecte

d A

reas

11. 1. A national list of protected areas comprised of only those sites that meet the internationally recognized definition of a protected area shall be prepared.

2016 0.05 The revised list of PAs Inspector General Forest Office

Fore

stry

11. 2. Representative forest areas of special importance for biodiversity will be designated as Forest Biodiversity Reserves by 2016 and effectively managed integrating with the wider landscapes.

2016 1.5

Trends in extent of forest protected areas, coverage of key biodiversity areas and management effectiveness


Prot

ecte

d A

reas

11. 3. The protected areas network shall be expanded by 2018 to complete representation of ecosystems and habitats especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity.

2018 1.0

Trends in extent of representative natural habitats coverage in protected areas, and management effectiveness.

Wildlife Departments, all provinces, AJK, GB

Prot

ecte

d A

reas

11. 4. At least seven major inland wetlands of national biodiversity significance shall be declared protected areas and together with the surrounding terrestrial areas managed effectively.

2019 1.0

Trends in extent of wetland protected areas, coverage of key biodiversity areas and management effectiveness


44


Prot

ecte

d A

reas

11. 5. At least three major coastal and marine protected areas will be established integrating these in the wider landscapes and seascapes and managed effectively in an equitable manner on an ecosystem based approach.

2017 0.5

Trends in extent of marine protected areas, and management effectiveness.

Wildlife Departments, all provinces, Balochistan, Sindh

Target 12: By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained

Wild

life

12. 1. Recovery plans are prepared and implementation to improve the conservation status of at least six selected threatened faunal species.

2018 1.5 Trends in population of selected species


Fish

erie

s 12. 2. Plans will be prepared and implemented for recovery of depleted freshwater fish species.



Fish

erie

s

12. 3. The population of known threatened marine species particularly of those most in decline shall be monitored regularly and remedial measures taken to improve and sustain their population.



Spec

ies

Trad

e

12. 4. A policy and guidelines for trade in species of flora and fauna including those listed on CITES appendices shall be prepared and disseminated widely.

2017 0.1 Trends in trade of species

Inspector General Forest’s Office

Target 13: By 2020, the genetic diversity of cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and of wild relatives, including other socio-economically as well as culturally valuable species is maintained, and strategies have been developed and implemented for minimizing genetic erosion and safeguarding their genetic diversity.

Agr

obi

odiv

ersi

ty

13. 1. The national food security and nutrition security policy (NF&NSP) shall be to incorporate considerations for sustainable agriculture, bio diversification of agro ecosystems, conservation of pollinators and soil biodiversity, use of transgenic organisms, and climate change.

2016 0.5

Trends in review of integration of biodiversity considerations in of agriculture policies.


Agr

obi

odiv

ersi

ty 13. 2 The gaps in the in-situ and ex-situ conservation of the agro biodiversity shall be assessed and measures taken to fill the gaps

2017 1.5

Trends in assessment of agrobiodiversity.

Trends in in-situ and ex-situ conservation


Agr

obi

odiv

ersi

ty

13. 3. Important local varieties, land races and breeds shall be improved through selection for resistance to disease, drought tolerance, and for increased production

2020 2.5Trends in use of traditional varieties and breeds


45


Agr

obi

odiv

ersi

ty 13. 4. Models of bio diversification of agro ecosystems shall be developed, tested, and demonstrated in major agro ecological zones.

2020 3.00Trends in replication of bio diverse agriculture


Strategic Goal D: Enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services

Target 14: By 2020, ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to water, and contribute to health, livelihoods and well-being, are restored and safeguarded, taking into account the needs of women, indigenous and local communities, and the poor and vulnerable.

Wat

ersh

ed

14. 1. Landscapes that provide essential services related to water for major dams, and contribute to health; livelihoods and well-being of local communities will be restored and safeguarded.

2020 2.5Trends in the condition of selected ecosystem services.

Forest Departments, AJK, KP, Punjab

Coa

stal

14. 2. Indus delta will be sustainably managed through collaborative management to conserve biodiversity and make sustainable use to safeguard the livelihoods and well-being of local communities.

2018 1.0Trends in the condition of selected ecosystem services.

Forest, and Fisheries Departments, Sindh

Target 15: By 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has been enhanced, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to combating desertification

Fore

stry

15. 1. Joint forest management projects will be developed and implemented for carbon sequestration through reforestation of at least 15,000 ha of forests and 5,000 ha of community forests.

2017 2.0

Trend in extent and condition of habitats that provide carbon storage.

Forest Departments, all provinces, AJK, GB.

Target 16. By 2015, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization is in force and operational, consistent with national legislation

Bio

dive

rsity

.16. 1. The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization is signed, ratified and implemented.

2018 0.10

Trends in access and equity of benefit-sharing of genetic resources


Strategic Goal E: Enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity buildingTarget 17: By 2015 each Party has developed, adopted as a policy instrument, and has commenced implementing an effective, participatory and updated national biodiversity strategy and action plan.

Polic

y Fr

amew

ork 17. 1. The revised NBSAP will be

adopted as a policy instrument by the national, provincial and regional governments and implementation and monitoring mechanisms shall be put in place.

2015 0.05

Trends in implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans


46


Inst

itutio

nal

Fram

ewor

k

17. 2. Institutional effectiveness and efficiency of the Directorate of Biodiversity shall be enhanced to ensure effective management and monitoring of the biodiversity resources.

2017 1.5

Trends in implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans


Polic

y Fr

amew

ork

17. 3. A biodiversity conservation policy shall be formulated, and adopted.

2017 0.1

Trends in integration of biodiversity policy in sectoral planning processes.


Target 18: By 2020, the traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and their customary use of biological resources, are respected, subject to national legislation and relevant international obligations, and fully integrated and reflected in the implementation of the Convention with the full and effective participation of indigenous and local communities, at all relevant levels.

Agr

o B

iodi

vers

ity

18. 1. The diversity of local varieties and land races of crops, fruits, and breeds of livestock and poultry and local knowledge of their management shall be documented by 2017 and incentive measures provided for on farm conservation by 2018.

2018 1.0

Trends in farming with traditional knowledge and use of local varieties and breeds.


Target 19: By 2020, knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity, its values, functioning, status and trends, and the consequences of its loss, are improved, widely shared and transferred, and applied

Kno

wle

dge 19.1. Pakistan’s natural habitats

will be defined and mapped for assessing the biodiversity status and to identify conservation priorities and opportunities.

2016 0.1

Mapping and assessment of ecosystems report

Number of habitat and species inventories.


Kno

wle

dge

19. 2. A forest classification system will be developed and maps prepared by using agreed international standards compatible with remote sensing technologies that include broad indicators of forest biodiversity.

2016 0.1

Forest classification and mapping report

Number of habitat and species inventories


Kno

wle

dge

19. 3. A baseline survey will be undertaken to assess the biodiversity of key inland wetlands and establish a system to monitor the status of species in most decline at regular intervals.

2017 0.5 Number of base line surveys

Pakistan Museum of Natural History

Target 20: By 2020, at the latest, the mobilization of financial resources for effectively implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 from all sources, and in accordance with the consolidated and agreed process in the Strategy for Resource Mobilization should increase substantially from the current levels. This target will be subject to changes contingent to resource needs assessments to be developed and reported by Parties

Fina

ncia

l m

echa

nism

20. 1. At least 25 percent of the regular development budget will be dedicated for the implementation of the NBSAP targets

2020 NATrends in mobilization allocation of resources for NBSAP.

All Provinces, AJK, GB

47


Fina

ncia

l M

echa

nism

20. 2. The financial resources from all sources will be mobilized by 2018, for a substantial increase from the current levels for effective implementation of the NBSAP.

2020 0.2Trends in mobilization of additional resources

Office of Inspector General of Forests, All relevant sectors in the provinces, AJK, GB.

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Annexure 2. Lists of Threatened Species of Fauna.

To be added

49


Annexure 3. List of Acronyms and Abbreviations.

ABT Aichi Biodiversity TargetBWG Biodiversity Working GroupCBD Convention on Biological DiversityGIS Global Information SystemCAF Central Asian Flyway CHM Clearing House MechanismCITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and FloraCMS Convention on Migratory SpeciesCoP Conference of PartiesCRI Climate Risk IndexFAO Food and Agriculture OrganizationFSMP Forestry Sector Master Plan GBO Global Biodiversity Outlook GDP Gross Domestic ProductGEF Global Environment FacilityHYVs High Yield VarietiesITPGRFA International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature KP Khyber PakhtunkhwaMDGs Millennium Development Goals Mha Million hectareNBSAPs National Biodiversity Strategies and Actions PlansNCS National Conservation StrategyNIM National Institute of ManagementNRM Natural Resource ManagementNSPP National School of Public PolicyNSDS National Sustainable Development StrategyNWCS National Wetland Conservation StrategyPARC Pakistan Agriculture Research Council PBS Pakistan Bureau of StatisticsPEPA Pakistan Environment Protection ActPIPS Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary StudiesPRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers REDD+ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest DegradationTEV Total Economic Value UNEP United Nations Environment ProgramUNIDO United Nations WCS World Conservation StrategyWRI World Resource InstituteWWF Worldwide Fund for Nature

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