The World Bank/WBI's CBNRM Initiative

Case Received: January 28, 1998

Author: Abdul Wajid Adil

Tel/Fax: +92 91 813838

Email: adl@save.psh.brain.net.pk

The Afghan Pamir in the Wakhan Corridor, is located in the Wakhan district in the Northeastern Province of Badakhsahn, Afghanistan. It is bordered by Tajikistan in the north, Sinkiang province of China in the east, and Gilgit and Chitral provinces of Pakistan in the south. There are several glaciated peaks that rise over 6000 m in the Wakhan Corridor. Most parts are extension of Hindu Kush Mountains.

Rich biodiversity, lofty mountains and picturisque landscapes are major uniqueness of the area. The biodiversity is an important renewable natural resource. The flora of the area belongs to the alpine vegetation community. The habitat types have been indicated are sedge meadows, alpine steppes, alpine heathes, rubble slopes and gulleys. Some forest patches of willows, eglantine, tamarisk are also present here. Also some plantations of juniper excelsa can be seen in some parts.

The Afghan Pamirs are among the most spectacular landscapes of central Asia providing habitat for the famous Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon poli), urial (Ovis orientalis) along with seventeen other mammal species including ibex (Capra ibex), and a number of carnivorous mammals among them snow leopard, brown beer and others. The area is also close to the mines of semi precious stones like lapis lazoli, robi and others among non-renewable resources.

confrontations between the natives for acquiring the natural resources. The pastures are seasonal providing good pastures in ummer times. Health conditions are very poor. No running health clinic functions here. Schools lack lack funds to pay the salaries of the teachers. Energy problem exists for heating space and cooking. The winters are very harsh and many people live and share small spaces. This is why respiratory diseases are very common. Sometimes as many as 30% of small children and elderly die of weak economic and low living standard. Neither in the past nor now there was any small to large scale developmental programmes or major economic activity here. The area is very backward.

The author (myself) develped and implemented a WWF-sponsored community based conservation management programme in the capacity of executive director of the Socity for Afghanistan Volunteer Environmentalists (SAVE). SAVE is the only environmental independent entity functioning in the country. I also wrote a comprehensive report on the life and landscape of the area from the monitoring and evaluation team's proceedings. Another report on the natural resources and uplift schemes for the area is about to be finished by the author. A project for survey and management of the snow leopard of the area has been submitted for approval.

Before initiation of this programme, a complete chaotic situation with regarding to shooting at every moveable object (animals) prevailed. No law ever existed to limit massacre of the very precious strategic species of ibex, urial, Marco Polo Sheep, snow leopard, brown beer and others before our involvement in biodiversity conservation here.

Sustainablity even as an idea did not exists. People thought that conservation of biodiversity is meaningless- "they are out there and they will be there for ever". No institution of whatsoever existed to which people and the whole system be accountable to. They thought these resources are God given and they belong to nobody. Therefore, nobody cared about them.

No rules or regulations ever existed to limit hunting and abuse of natural resources. The noteables with equipment and having horses to ride were more able to hunt and devastate the populations of ungulates in this remote part of the world. According to some estimates at one single hunting season as many as 500 ibex were hunted. The meat from the very precious species was sold in the butchers shops which represents the most inefficient utilization of natural resources. The pelts from the snow leopard and other animals sold at a very low price and found everywhere. Some opportunists from adjacent Pakistan went and traded freely in ildlife and even exterminated whole populations of some marketable ildlife. Those with influence could hunt to the level they wanted. Soil erosion, losing soil fertility and disappearance of trees and bushes, landslides are other features not only here but elsewhere in the country.

Although the problems the country and the people are confronted with are known hypothetically to many, the problem of biodiversity was not known to anybody in the case study area in the recent past. The problems came to light only after SAVE started the biodiversity programme in the area. For over twenty years, nobody even entered the area for any positive intervention or changing the dismal situation of the people.

If the problems went unaddressed, for sure, one day the existence of those strategic species would have remained only in the recordbooks. If urgent and systematic actions with a longer strategies are not adopted, the resource base of the area may be shaken and along with this the very existence of the community may be threatend. As there was no care, nobody knew what would happen. SAVE has introduced the idea of sustainable resource management for the prosperity of the present and future generations.

The institutional change came about first through a monitoring visit of the area by a team of our organization SAVE. They visited the area and strongly felt the need for a program to safeguard the diminishing number of wildlife there, manage the resources for the well-being of the local communities. This led to approval of a project by WWF-Pakistan. Soon, SAVE with a team of conservationist and environmental educationist opened a site office here and started working with people.

After much effort and communications with the local people, elders, influentials, government authorities, local commanders and intellectuals of the area, people became aware and informed about the problem and its consequences.

Awareness about the significance of the wildlife, dependency of their future to the resources, distribution of leaflets, attending the gathering places of the people like mosques and other worship places, schools and others people were convinced to take interest and participate in the program. Information about environment and natural resources were given to the school children as future leaders of the society.

Among the key actors in the process were the SAVE, the local authorities, and the local population. SAVE brought the idea, facilitated the gatherings of people, mobilized and made aware the authorities and gave guidelines and draft of regulations and laws to be ordinained by the authorities. The people participated by hosting the conservation and education teams. They provided them with food and shelter, ride, guides and information. They pinpointed the problems and also solutions which will be incorporated in our present and future programmes.

We felt the need for an urgent intervention, so we acted and took the initiatives. But the actual participants were the local people. The local commanders also deemed this as their responsibility to act swiftly. They knew if they do not act now, sooner or later the whole resources will diminish and the means for livelihood of people of this remote area of the country will be permanently lost.

The actual change came about through the initiation of SAVE and the cooperation of the local commanders. It has become the public agenda for the people.

For the first time rules and regulations came into existence. People felt that they have some responsibility toward the resources around them. They became ready to take note of the hunting and using of the natural resources. The administeration of the regulations and even temporarily banning of the important and threatend species will be done by the local authorities, and SAVE will act supervising and consulting in the process. The institutional changes had the following impacts:

• Some people now think that the natural resources including the wildlife are finite and they cannot be perpetual unless they are closely protected and preserved.

• Hunting pressure was reduced to a considerable degree.

• SAVE has initiated a process of enhancing the ecotourism through adoption of regulated hunting through some international organizations who will assist in attracting some hunters who can pay considerable amount of money against a very restricted hunting. Hunting can only take place after closely watching the status of the species and studying the conventions in this regard. The programme will in many ways change the way of life of people. The revenue generated through this regulated hunting can be used for establishing educational, health and communication infrastructure. This will also provide working opportunities for the local people by offering services, such as guest houses, selling of their locally made handicrafts and also working as guides for the tourists and hunters. The impacted changes can be uplifting of the economic status of the local people and better conservation of biodiversity in the area.

• Through special arrangements, hunting was banned of some of the threatened species for a while, a fine will be levied against any offending parties.

• The money charged for hunting of allowed speicies will go to the general well-being of the people.

• Environmental education will go hand in hand with the formal education. The problem of education of the area was discussed with interested parties. SAVE is facilitating submission of proposals to the interested parties.

• The area will be opened before many parties who can intervene for betterment of the life of the people here. SAVE is in contact and encourages them to work and start undertaking in the area. All these efforts may contribute in alleviation of poverty and in securing a better life here.

The lessons that we learnt were numerous:

• People are the real actors for any initiation. Their welfare should be at the top of agenda. Peoples awareness plays a key role.

• A driving force to make responsible choices are vital for every conservation measure. No conservation activity may succeed unless its social virtues and economic sides are not adequately explored.

• Only, through proper utilization of indigenous resources can sustainable and proper future can be built for every community in the world.

• Only homemade solutions to be in par with the local conditions are the tools which can easily be worked with.

• The lessons that were learnt here are replicable in many situations elsewhere in the country and especially in the newly independent countries of the central Asia like Tajikistan, Uzbikistan, and also Pakistan with which the case study area has common borders.

The universality of this case is obvious. Those people living in the remote mountainous areas are solely dependent on the scarce resources which are threatened by many factors among them poverty, population explosion and lack of economic incentives. People's participation can make many problems solved.