KARACHI: Proposed drafts on updated forest and wildlife laws have been awaiting approval for four years but the provincial government appears to be lacking political will to take the initiative, sources told Dawn on Friday.

The sources said the drafts had been prepared after lengthy deliberations among stakeholders as Sindh, at present, remained to be the only province in the country that had not yet revised its outdated forest and wildlife laws.

The province follows 87-year-old Sindh Forest Act (with few amendments brought over the years) and more than four-decade-old Sindh Wildlife Ordinance, 1972.

“Lack of government interest might be linked to clauses that prohibit conversion of forest land into any other land category and imposition of a heavy fine on the offenders,” said a senior official of the forest department.

According to the official, the forest cover of the province has greatly shrunk over the years mainly due to construction of dams and barrages upstream Indus river that gradually led to a drastic decline in water supplies to Sindh.

Citing the 2011 survey, he said that Sindh’s forest cover had reduced to only 20pc and that mainly consisted of low-lying areas and the land declared ‘protected’ inclusive of the mangroves cover along the coastline.

“Of the 0.75m acres of the riverine forest and irrigated plantation, 58,000 acres have already been converted to other uses with the revenue department’s permission whereas 134,000 acres have been encroached upon. The case is pending trial in the Sindh High Court right now,” he said.

About 4,000 acres had recently been retrieved from encroachers in Ghotki and Sukkur districts with the help of the administration and Rangers on the court’s orders, he said.

According to the sources, the updated version of the forest and wildlife laws had been prepared only after a non-government organisation took the initiative as part of its project and held consultations among stakeholders, including government officials, senior wildlife experts and representatives of NGOs.

The draft documents were with the law department right now, they said.

“The old laws have lost relevance today. So, it’s crucial that these laws based on local and international developments and requirements are approved,” said former forest and wildlife secretary Shamsul Haq Memon, adding that the law department needed to expedite the process for approval.

A reading of the draft wildlife act shows that contrary to the old law, it takes care of all international obligations and developments with regard to wildlife as well as local sensitivities on the subject and has actually broadened the definition of wildlife that was earlier restricted to wild animals only.

Another important aspect of the draft law is the revival of the Sindh Wildlife Management Board, which had played a significant role in the implementation of wildlife rules and regulations before it ceased to function years ago.

The document widens the list of protected areas and enhances powers of wildlife department officials. There are clauses pertaining to cruelty to wild animals and killing in self-defence.

It bars people from keeping a zoo without registration and suggests a significant increase in fines for violation of the wildlife rules. It also recommends the establishment of the Sindh Wildlife Conservation and Development Fund.

The revised version of the Forest Act 1927 suggests effective measures to protect forests and ensures community participation, increase in the number of acts prohibited and significant enhancement of penalties and punishment for lawbreakers.

“We are concerned that the two vital documents are yet to be turned into law. If there are some gaps, they should be identified without wasting further time, so that we could remove them,” said Dr Ejaz Ahmed, deputy director general of the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan, the NGO that led the documentation process.

Secretary forest and wildlife Naila Wajid Khan said: “We are going to send a reminder to the law department to expedite the process for approval.”

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2015

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