Deforestation, a crime against our future generations

The Coniferous and oak forests in Chitral, Pakistan are endangered. They are decreasing day by day; therefore, the prices of fuel wood and timber are always going up in Chitral. The lush green region of the Shishikoh Valley has become a destroyed place; the villages have been converted into riverbeds. The well-off families migrated to other parts of the district, and the poor villagers made their houses within the forest on the hillsides. The road has been destroyed forever, and people travel on foot most of the year. Hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of wood went down country. Shishikoh Valley provides fuel wood and timber to the local market as well. Most parts of the lower Chitral have been converted into barren mountains now. The most significant causes of deforestation in Chitral, Pakistan are the Gojar tribe, the timber mafia and the government.

The Gojar tribe in the lower regions of Chitral District cause a lot of deforestation. They live a nomadic life and have hundreds of thousands of livestock moving around the forests and pastures. Moreover, they keep livestock for commercial purposes and free graze their livestock in the forests. They involve themselves in the illegal cutting of forest for timber and fuel wood to sell in the market. They have become millionaires because of the natural forests and have become the strongest tribe in Chitral. Now, they have volunteer armed forces and political support to protect their interests. The armed attack on MNA in Purut Gole Shishikoh and forcefully capturing a pasture in Madaklasht Village couple of years ago are the big examples of Gojar power. Surprisingly, keeping livestock for commercial basis is the private business of the Gojar tribe, but destroying the natural forests and communal lands are everyone’s concern.

The timber mafia is another contributing factor to local deforestation. The timber mafias are contractors and politicians. They have money and a strong base in politics; moreover, they have agents in the villages to sell their forests. They buy the forests very cheap from the local villagers and sell the timber at a high price and become millionaires in a short period of time. The timber mafias are strong people and put political pressure on government employees as well; therefore, they are always safe from the law of the country.

The final cause of deforestation in Chitral is the government itself. The government lacks the sincerity to make and implement a strong law to protect and conserve the natural resources. In addition, forests are never managed scientifically in Chitral because of the shortage and inexperience staff and other resources. After each section of the forest is cleared of its timber, the government is supposed to control free grazing for at least ten years, but they do not, and when they also fail to plant new trees the situation becomes even worse. Most importantly, the forest deportment considers the forest as government property, so they never involve the public in forest management and protection. This is the reason why local people have no interest to protect the forest. If the things do not change, the precious forests of lower Chitral will become extinct very soon.

Overgrazing and mismanagement of the forest by the tribe, the political manipulation of the timber mafia, and the failure of the government to properly reforest the harvested areas have caused an environmental tragedy in Chitral. The natural resources of the coniferous and oak forests are vanishing day by day. The green valleys are being converted into barren lands. When environmentalists and some local leadership peacefully protested in Ayun town Chitral, the government administration put them in jail. If people cannot try and find a solution to these problems, without fear of government incarceration, who will be left to protect our forests in Chitral?  -- Nazir, Canada, 22 Dec 2011.

Comment 1

The reporter has very rightly listed the entities that are involved in the deforestation in Chitral. I thank him for highlighting one of the most important issues of Chitral.

As an ordinary person, I don’t know very much about the scientific technicalities but, however, it is a fact before all of us that nature reacts to your actions in its own way! If we spoil it by cutting trees or by doing other harms to it, the nature will take revenge by causing floods, climate change, melting of glaciers, drying out of springs etc, which are disastrous to us. And similarly if we thank God and take care of it, the nature will also show its blessings!

Our natural resources are a gift of God and not all people are blessed with this gift. We, the people of Chitral, are truly very fortunate to have been given all what nature has to offer! From glaciers to lush green forests, from mountains to rivers and streams, and so on!! But have we ever thought what we are doing in return? Nature is mother, and we are destroying our own mother!! So even the animals are better than us in this case, at least they are loyal to those who feed them!

Don’t forget that our glaciers are the backbone of our settlements in Chitral. Deforestation not only damages the environment and its natural beauty but also it adds to the global warming, hence now we see our glaciers melt, disappearing year by year. And this slow but very dangerous process if carries on like this, then I am very sure, the day is near when our river and all streams that feed our valleys will dry out, causing great panic in the whole region. As there is no alternative source of water, and the sole source for us is the glaciers, so automatically all our livestock will die out, agricultural lands will get barren, put aside the usage of water for cleaning and cooking; there will be no water for drinking even!! This horrible dream will come true if the deforestation continues, causing our glaciers to melt. In fact, this dream is nearing us day-by-day and we being aware of the terrible consequences, still are silent and not taking any practical action.

However, that bad dream is still in our hand and we have the power to change it to a certain extent! Altogether, we have to take it seriously now, before it’s too late! Otherwise, we will loose everything, even our ‘Chitrali’ identity because our future generation would have to find another place to live in as life in Chitral would be impossible without the natural resources! -- Junaid Saleh Hayat, Islamabad 24 Dec 2011

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