Reversing deforestation and degradation in high conservation value Chilgoza Pine Forests in Pakistan

The Restoration Initiative (TRI) project in Pakistan focuses on restoration, protection and sustainable management of the Chilgoza pine forests ecosystem to provide global environmental benefits as well as enhanced resilience and livelihoods to local stakeholders.

The Chilgoza forests are mainly located in the dry temperate zone of Pakistan, where there is less rainfall compared to snowfall. Chilgoza trees grow between 2 000 m to 3 350 m above sea level in the Hindukush-Karakoram-Himalaya region of North Pakistan. The Chilgoza forests either occur in pure patches or mixed with other coniferous species of trees such as the deodar and the blue pine. These forests hold tremendous importance from both ecological and economic perspectives. While the deodar and the blue pine are valued almost exclusively for their timber, Chilgoza is valued for its nuts, which are locally, nationally and internationally demanded. This species’ edible, oil-rich seeds are harvested in autumn and early winter. Trees that do not yield seeds are likely to be used for firewood, light construction and carpentry.
 
Beyond the Chilgoza nut, this ecosystem is important for other non-timber forest products such as medical plants, mushrooms, honey and biodiversity, which all positively contribute to local livelihoods. It also protects vital ecosystem services such as carbon storage, soil and flood protection, water recharge and regulation of downstream flows, which are essential for human consumption, irrigation and hydropower generation. 

Additionally, this ecosystem is home to globally threatened fauna, including the rare and endangered snow leopard, the Himalayan lynx, the Kashmir markhor, wolves and black bears. It also acts as the main food source for many birds such as the chukar partridge, the peregrine falcon and the Eurasian kestrel.

Despite its high global value, the Chilgoza forest ecosystem is degraded by illegal wood harvesting (mostly for fuel) and its natural regeneration is hindered by uncontrolled grazing and overexploitation of the medicinal plants. In some cases, it is degraded by the harvesting of the Chilgoza pine nuts. Out of total 4 579 000 ha of forest cover, only 27 percent are productive due to the high level of degradation. According to the Landsat-based assessment of forest cover change, the annual rate of deforestation in natural forests is estimated to be around 27 000 ha, which is alarming. Most of the high-value coniferous forests are to be found in Khyber Pakhtunkwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and northern Balochistan which covers the Chilgoza project area. Due to the immense pressure of wood acquisition for fuelwood and construction, more than 70 percent of these forests are depleted. The excessive grazing further complicates the matter as studies have shown that the status of natural regeneration in the 76 percent of these forests is unsatisfactory due to free grazing and persistent fire occurrence. The degradation cause varies from place to place and it can be caused by different factors such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, heavy soil erosion and landslides. The main drivers of deforestation are due to rural poverty, lack of alternative livelihoods and energy sources, hunger for land and excessive grazing. Climate change and poor forest management also contribute to forest degradation.

The TRI project focuses on the key areas of the Chilgoza ecosystem: Chitral, Diamir, South Waziristan and Sherani. These areas are degraded and the project works on providing local communities with incentives for a sustainable management of the forest. The solution could come from the emblematic Chilgoza Pine and its nuts as an economic incentive for conservation and restoration.

The value of Chilgoza timber is low, but it is estimated that a single standing Chilgoza pine tree can produce nuts worth 4 500 Pakistan Rupees (Rs), 30 USD, per year at a local level. This represents an important income source for many poor households. Thanks to the increased interest of the Chinese in Chilgoza nuts, the market now represents around 70 percent of the local market for non-timber forest products. It is estimated that each project site has the potential to generate billions of Rs (millions of dollars) through Chilgoza nuts trade in a good seed year.

As the price went up, local people got motivated to stop cutting trees and collect the seeds for earning revenue instead. The local communities in all four focus sites have agreed on a plan for the collection and use of the pine cones. The local community has fixed a period for collecting the cones during which only the local community members can collect the cones with their family since people outside the village cannot be employed for this activity. The community also puts certain conditions for the cones collection to avoid any injury to the trees and surrounding forests. Female farmers are involved in the cone collection, transportation to the local market, cleaning and drying, and in some cases, they are also involved in the extraction of seed from the cone.

The local traders purchase the cones and transport them to the main local markets where non-local traders arrange the extraction of the seeds. Traders then transport the seeds to the main markets for roasting and further processing. Finally, in bigger national markets, packing is arranged and sold mainly by Chinese traders. The Chinese traders, after refining and packing, sell the seeds at a higher price in the international market.

A large share of the net profits go to non-local traders, local people only get 40 to 50 percent of the net revenues. By rationalizing the role of the middle-men (outside traders) and working on value addition and value chain development, this project aims at increasing the portion of funds retained by the local people/collectors and owners to incentivize them to sustainably manage the Chilgoza ecosystem.

To counter forest degradation and support local communities in the sustainable management of the Chilgoza ecosystem, the TRI project is promoting Chilgoza Forest Protection and Conservation Committees (CFPCC) at a community level. The stewardship role of local communities is always a key factor to succeed in the conservation and sustainable forest management. Mr. Irfan Kalash, a village old man in Chitral valley, declared, “It is unfortunate that we are losing our precious God given natural resources due to our own carelessness. For centuries, our ancestors have protected the valley’s natural ecosystem by sustainably using and managing natural resources. Unless we take urgent action to restore these sustainable practices, the reality will continue to pull us into darkness.”

The CPFCC are made of community members and are registered by the local forest department to conserve and sustainably manage the Chilgoza forests and ecosystem including managing the grazing exclusions, supporting assisted natural regeneration, plantations and biodiversity conservation. They also play a role in controlling illicit cutting of trees for timber and fuelwood. Each of these CFPCC has signed a Terms of Partnership document with the forest department for which they commit themselves to the sustainable management of the Chilgoza forest ecosystem in exchange for support from the project. This support can be multifold, ranging from capacity building for improved Chilgoza nut harvesting to the compensation for forest rangers activities in non-grazing zones. Indeed, in order to promote the natural regeneration of Chilgoza pine, degraded forest patches have been identified, with the help of local people, for assisted natural regeneration. These plots will become non-grazing zones until the regenerated pine will be strong enough. This would probably take around three years.

To support sustainable harvesting, the project has identified collectors with the CFPCC and provided them with Chilgoza harvesting toolkits. Each of these toolkits includes tools for (i) a safer/more sustainable harvest such as cone cutters, bags for cone collection, wax remover, climbing belt, shoves, hand gloves, shoes and (ii) for simple cone processing such as Chilgoza washer, dryer and packing. A processing unit will also be provided in Chillas this year to increase local value addition. By now, over 150 of toolkit sets have been distributed to the collectors as part of the on-the-field training on sustainable harvesting. These kits are not only important for the trees, but also for the collectors’ safety. This is essential since the Chilgoza trees are mostly found on rocky slopes, which leads to a number of collectors to die or be severely injured each year due to falling from the trees as they lack safety measures and equipment.

Entering in its second year, the TRI project will support 12 CCPF, which will have an impact on 2 200 ha under restoration practices including 1 800 ha through assisted natural regeneration. The system will create strong incentives for the local communities to support the Chilgoza ecosystem delivering all its services over the long term.

For more information contact: [email protected]

Mathilde Iweins, Mehr Hassan and Faizul Bari (FAO)