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LAHORE, June 9: At least 15 to 20 women die extracting fuelwood every year in the Ayubia National Park.
Located to the north of Murree in the Himalaya mountains, the park was declared a protected area in 1984 for being rich in animal and plant species. It spreads over 8,184 acres and has one of the best examples of moist temperate forests in the country. Seven villages and three small towns —- Nathiagali, Khanaspur and Ayubia —- fall in the protected area.
Over 42,000 people living closer to the park depend on fuelwood and fodder. Since they have no alternatives to obtaining fuelwood, they cut down forests rather ruthlessly. It snows heavily in winter and this enhances fuelwood consumption. At least half of the local population rears livestock. The cattle are being grazed on farms in summer and in winter on fodder stored for the purpose.
According to estimates, each household uses 11.1 tonnes of fuelwood and 13.6 tonnes of fodder in a year. The situation was quite deplorable in the mid 90s when deforestation, overgrazing, and land clearing for agriculture were going unchecked. Growing population of people and animals gave way to soil erosion. It was then the WWF came to the rescue and launched a forest conservation project. The first phase of the project ended in 2000.
Local women, like their counterparts in rural plains, are on the receiving end. Being part of a superstitious society, they are exposed to donkey labour to earn bread. Leaving home early in the morning, these women extract fuelwoods from the forests by scaling tall and twisting trees on steep slopes oblivious of risks to their lives. On an average, some 15 to 20 women fall to death every year.
Their search for water makes quite an adventure. Placing pitchers on heads, they cover miles and miles to fetch water for drinking and other household purposes. However, their patience is really put to test when they return home where all the household chores wait for them.
In a society where male members are ultra-conservative and domineering, these women can hardly think of any assistance from them. Not to speak of young people.
Education to these women is next to impossible. Schools for boys are located in the far-off areas and in some cases children have to cover a distance of at least 10 miles to get to a school.
There are no medical facilities for the local population which relies mostly on indigenous knowledge and treatment of medicinal plants. Abbottabad is the nearest centre where they can have if any basic medical facilities.
WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT: The NWFP Wildlife Department is responsible for saving and preserving wildlife of the park. It is its prime job to keep a check on cutting of trees in the Ayubia National Park either by local population or timber mafia.
The department faces hordes of problems to keep the sanctity of the protected park. Shortage of staff and funds is a major problem. The situation awaits some genuine contributions by non-government organizations.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the WWF-Pakistan in league with the wildlife department has initiated different projects to preserve the natural habitat of the park.
The WWF has on umpteen occasions involved local communities to create awareness about the importance of forests, to educate them about the sustainable use of fuelwood and fodder and to provide alternatives like establishing nurseries in villages.
MAIN FEATURES OF THE PARK: The park consists entirely of reserve forests. The four main forests are Bakot, Bagam, Kao and Dawaza. It has three galliat —- Kuza Gali, Dunga Gali and Nathia Gali. In the lap of huge pine trees, it has one of the world’s best tracks —- the Pipeline Track. The four-kilometre track that links Ayubia to Donga Gali runs through the wilds of the forests. It hosts a superb scenery with blue pines covering the hills. The park has a chairlift that remains inoperative most of the time.
The park that teems with life is home to many bird species like golden eagles, Himalayan griffin vultures, honey buzzer, peregrine falcons, kestrel, Indian sparrow hawk, hill pigeons, spotted doves and collared doves. The population of the Koklass Pheasant and the Kaliji Pheasant is the highest known for Pakistan. Only 30 individuals of the Kaliji Pheasant are known to exist in the park.
Common mammals of the park are Asiatic leopards who are vulnerable at the moment. Black bear is almost extinct. While the Yellow throated marten, Himalayan palm civet and masked civet are rare, Kashmir hill fox, red flying squirrel and rhesus macaques are common.
BIRD WATCHING: Bird watching is an exhilarating sight one can relish while walking on the Pipeline Track. Birds of different hues and species attract a great deal. Sunrise is the best time for bird watching.
