ISLAMABAD, Feb 29: The environment ministry would implement a full-scale project on Sustainable Land Management to Combat Desertification in Pakistan at a cost of $17.44 million.

This was disclosed by Caretaker Federal Minister for Environment Syed Wajid Hussain Bukhari while talking to Director- General, International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), here on Friday.

The project would help improve ecosystem resilience and land productivity through promoting sustainable management of natural resources, mainstreaming SLM principles in overall land use planning, enhancing knowledge and awareness, protecting habitat of globally important species, maintaining hydrological cycles, mitigating effects of drought and reducing poverty from the project areas.

The project would also facilitate implementation of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), National Action Programme (NAP) to Combat Desertification and Mitigate Impacts of Drought, Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and the Medium-Term Development Framework (2005-10).

According to a statement here, the project would be implemented over a period of seven years in two phases. Phase-I (2008-09) would focus on creating an enabling environment, institutional strengthening and mainstreaming SLM principles in land use planning and implementation of nine pilot projects for promoting SLM practices for improving local livelihood.

Phase-II (2010-15) would focus on demonstration of SLM practices at larger landscape building on the lessons learnt and best practices tested under Phase-I.

The project would be implemented by dry land regions of all the four provinces — Sindh, Balochistan, NWFP and Punjab.

During the meeting, the minister said the total budget for phase-I was $4.6 million with contributions of $2 million of Global Environment Facility (GEF), $1.35 million of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and $1.25 million of Government of Pakistan.

The estimated cost for phase II of the project would be $12.5 million.

The main beneficiaries of the project will be the local communities. The participatory nature of the project will ensure their involvement in decision making and deriving benefits from on-the-ground interventions.

Investments in social-infrastructure development and integrated management of land resources will help in providing sustainable livelihoods and reducing poverty, particularly increasing household incomes.