Climate Change: Readapting Forest Management in South Asia

Forests are the home for animals and plants alike, but their role extends to being a major source in the provision of numerous goods and environmental services (IUCN 2010).

However, climatic changes, which have become more apparent in recent years, have created such an environment that the role of forests have become more important than just being a source of livelihood.

Climate changes affect every part of the world detrimentally by affecting the ecosystem. Pakistan’s geo-physical location, mostly arid and semi-arid landscape (60%) (TFCC 2009) makes it more vulnerable to climate change. The detrimental affects of climate change poseserious threats to Pakistan’s fragile environment, security, social and economic life.

''Forest management has the potential either to exacerbate or reduce the effects of climate change” (Noss 2001). Deforestation and forest degradation produce about 17-20% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions (IPPC 2007) or on the contrary has the potential of sinking the same amount of carbon through sustainable forest management.

Sustainable forest management provides the “….most  practical and cost effective mitigation measure…” (The Forest Dialogue, 2008). Unfortunately, Pakistan is among those countries where bio-mass endowment was further reduced from 6 to 2.5% (FAO 2009) in the last three decades.

The complexity of interests of different stakeholders makes sustainable forest management even more difficult. However, the response of society to sustainable forest management is by and large “...determined through political process. If educated to understand the multiple benefits of sustaining diverse, healthy, resilient forests, people will place value on protecting these forests” (Noss 2001).

In fact, sustainable forest management is not just a mere scientific issue; it involves a complex political, social and economic processes and decisions that require a holistic approach, innovations and policy measures through informed dialogues and close coordination among the stakeholders to address concerns that are constantly in  a state of flux.

Based on the presented argument, speakers are invited to contribute papers on the following issues and challenges relating to sustainable forest management: forest governance; statutory vs. customary approaches; dilemma of forest ownership and rights; best practices with innovation in sustainable forest management; sustainable forest management as a mitigation response to climate change.

Source:- www.sdpi.org