PESHAWAR, Nov 9: A think tank required under the NWFP Forest Commission Act 1999, has been reconstituted after a delay of about 18 months, according to sources.

Required under Section 5 of the act, the forestry round table, an advisory body envisaged to assist the forest commission, was supposed to be   reconstituted in April 2002.

But due to procedural delays, change of government and bureaucratic impediments, it could not be formed in time.

The sources said, after the previous body completed its two-year term in April 2002, the new round table was supposed to be notified in the same year.

“But it took the environment department [previously titled as forest department, NWFP] about 18 months to reconstitute the body in fulfilment of the provisions of the act duly passed by the provincial assembly in 1999,” said a source.

The reconstitution of the round table has much to do with the environment department’s attempts to appease the Asian Development Bank which is financing NWFP’s multi-million dollar forestry sector project.

“Constitution of the forestry round table forms part of the conditions the donor agency had set to assist the provincial government in executing forestry sector project and now that the extension period of the project is close to end, the authorities concerned are again trying to get the term of the project further extended,” said a well placed source.

An officer of the project also acknowledged the fact and admitted that the government was in a hurry to reconstitute the round table to fulfil the donor agency’s requirement.

A notification to the effect of constituting the forest round table was issued by the environment department, NWFP, on Nov 3, 2003.

The new round table involves 39 full members including eight each representatives of forest owners and non-owners (right holders), four of farmers, three of non-governmental organizations, two of wood-based industries and one each representative of the forest officer association, forest rangers association, forest guard association and the forest contractor association.

The think tank also has an environmental journalist and a forest consultant.

The newly-formed body also involves 10 ex-officio members representing as many departments and forestry sector entities of the provincial public sector.

All the three regions of the NWFP involving forest, including Hazara region, Malakand region and Southern districts, have been given equal representation on the round table as far as nomination of the representatives of owners an non-owners is concerned.

The SUNGI Development Foundation, that carries out activities and programmes in the forestry sector, has not been given representation on the round table, though it has played an active role in proceedings of the last round table.

From among the NGOs, IUCN, Sarhad Rural Support Programme and Sarhad Awami Forestry Ittehad have been given representation on the think tank.

As per the terms of reference set for the newly-constituted body, the round table will work as a think-tank and resource pool for the yet-to-be-constituted forest commission.