An anatomy of state failures in forest management in Pakistan

Abstract

Deforestation remains one of the most intractable environmental problems. Pakistan also faces a serious problem of depletion of its forest reserves. The general perception among planners is that overpopulation is the primary culprit behind forest degradation. Moreover, people living close to forestlands, and using it for their needs, show imprudent behaviour towards these forests and use them in an unsustainable manner. So there is a tendency among policy-makers to find ways of keeping people away from this resource, and to strengthen government's hold over it. This is a rather simplistic conception of the issue since most of the forests in Pakistan are state-owned/managed, and the responsibility for the protection/conservation of these forests rests with the state. Therefore, any inquiry into the causes of forest degradation in Pakistan must analyse the state's role in it. Putting the entire burden of deforestation on 'other factors' shifts attention away from the more important causes (such as the failure of the government to manage forests) and leads to wrong policy conclusions. This study intends to focus attention on this important factor behind deforestation - the role of the state in forest degradation in Pakistan. © The Pakistan Development Review.