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June 2010
This Report Prepared by Jalal Uddin Mughal PFP Field Director District Neelum Azad
Kashmir and Ejaz Ur-Rehman Director PFP UK.
ENVIRONMENT SECTION
BANK ROAD
WWW.PRESSFORPEACE.ORG.UK
info@pressforpeace.org.uk
CONTENTS
Gurase Valley in District Neelum Azad Kashmir is the most captivating but
remote and backward area of the Neelum valley situated in the north-east
of the Muzaffarbad, the capital city of Azad Kashmir. It is stippled in many
sub-valleys from the Kail to Taubutt. The area is situated at line of
control(LOC) between India and Pakistan. The area is full of marvelous
flora and fauna and enriched with natural resources like rivers, natural
springs, forest and minerals. A local biologist Baseer ud din Quershi is of
opinion that tremendously there is a number of rare species in Gurase
Valley which are now at the last breath due to illegal hunting, deforestation
and habitat degradation. Govt. of Azad Kashmir has declared the valley as
a national park through a government Notification No SJ-F-O-7(14)/47-
4238/2007 dated September.24, 2007 to protect and wise use of Natural
resources for the conservation and income generation of local community.
The area harbor a number of endangered species like Himalayan Musk
Deer ,Marmot , Brown Bear and black bear including a number of birds and
plants species. Similarly the endangered plant Bermi (Taxus baccata) the
source of cancer medicine, Taxol, and a number of medicinal plants like
Kuth(Sassuria lappa) are found in the area.
Map of the District Neelum, “projected area circled in red” (Source Planning and
Development Department Govt.AJK)
GEOGRAPHY
Neelum River divides the park into two parts while the human
population resides on both side of Neelum River in the park area. The
park is surrounded by Line of Control in the east , peaks of Qammary
heights in the north Astor, Northern areas in the (Map 1). The Park
is located in district Neelum, covering an area of 52,817 ha, lying
between 2,017m to 4,345m elevation. The park falls under the Sharda
division and Guraze Range of AJK Forest Department. Each of the Range
is further divided into Blocks. Entire Sonar Block from Compartment
No. 1 to Compartment No. 31 and Compartment No. 16 to Compartment
No.42 of Janwai Block are included in the park via Notification No
SJ-F-O-7(14)/47-4238/2007 dated September.24, 2007.
The communities residing in the Park area are mostly depending upon
agriculture for their livelihood. But due to heavy snow in winter they could
grow the crops only in summer and often they have to found other source
of income for them. They depend upon livestock to fulfill the requirement
of meat and milk. After agriculture and livestock, timber logging is the
Major industry for local people. Sometime they use to hunt different wild
animals and birds to earn their livelihood.
Education:
Majority of the people above then 30% is uneducated as there not have
been sufficient educational facilities in Gurase Valley in past whereas
Government have provided primary, middle and high schools in the valley,
while the students have to go outside the valley for college and university
education.
Health:
Health and hygienic condition of the valley is even much worse then other
any part of Azad Kashmir. There are just two BHUs (Basic Health Units) in
the whole valley to provide medical aid to the population of the valley. In
winter season when the whole valley is ice-covered and temperature falls
down from the freezing point, people could not reach to these BHUs and
they have to use local herbs for treatment. And many people especially
women and children die during winter because of absence of medical
facilities. Lady Doctor and gynecologist are still not appointed by the
government even in the whole district so a number of the women have to
die during pregnancy complications.
This area is the heart of sustainable tourism in Azad Kashmir because of its
lush green natural beauty.
Though the Government of AJK has declared and notified the area as
MDGNP in 2001 but its implementation is still a challenge for Wildlife
Department and conservation organizations deputed to promote,
implement and management of this declared Park Area. Indigenous people
have some critical and basic objections on the implementation of the park
and these have been amplified by the recent act of the wildlife department
and police.
Local women bringing dry fodder for their cattle.(Photo by Asif Raza Mir)
COMMUNITY CONCERNS AND VERSIONS:
Mr. Khurram Shahid a locale environment activist said that HWF have
wasted a huge amount of funds in Ghamote National Park Area and the
never went to communities for interaction. The NGO have reported to
donors the completion of hundreds of projects regarding livelihood
development and sustainability of the communities casting millions of
dollars in Gamhote National Park Area whereas there is no even single
project on ground in conserved area of Ghamote. Khurram is afraid that
HWF will repeat the same with Gurase National Park.
Communities residing in the Musk Deer National Park Gurase area have
critical concerns and worries about the implementation on the government
notification of the national park and they consider the notification as an
obstruction on their movement even in their own fields. Surely it is only
because of poor social mobilization policy of the Organizations deputed to
implement different awareness and development projects in Gurase Valley.
Still communities consider the whole process a step to violate their basic
rights. Still the communities are not aware about the benefits of the park
and have to sense of ownership at the park which needs to be created
through advocacy and awareness campaign. Indigenous people have made
following basic concerns upon the implementation of this Project.
• As local communities depend upon the forest for their basic needs
like food, vegetables, fuel, construction and their cattle’s need. They
should be allowed to continue their activities in forest or may be
provided with some other source of livelihood, energy and
construction. Without providing alternate construction martial and
source of energy authorities have ordered the communities to keep
away themselves from forest.
• Wild animals like Bears, tigers and wolves many time thrust villagers
and their livestock which is a hazard not only for livestock but also for
human beings. It have been reportedly happened that a numbers of
livestock have been teared by them and many peoples has also been
injured or even killed by the wild animals.
• During summer wild animals like bear, monkeys and jackals plunge
into the fields and destroy the cereal crops badly and local people
have no right even to keep a dog for the protection of their crops.
So, the government should provide the protection from such game
animals.
• To retrieve the people of Hanthi village from the case trailed in local
court for the killing of a tiger and resolve the issue need to be resolve
through bilateral negotiation.
Fig: Types of the houses in the area and misery of the peoples in harsh climate (Source
AJK Tourism Department).
Universally, the government of the state posses the most effective role in
implementation process of national parks through awareness about
importance of conservation by defining species and minerals of the
conserved areas. But in Azad Jammu and Kashmir the case is different.
Shortage of funds, Untrained an irrelevant staff and indolent behavior of
the officials of AJK Wildlife and Forest Departments is the major obstacle in
conservation process in Azad Kashmir.
ICB have accepted the local traditions of conserved area as right of the
indigenous people and internationally, violation of traditions is being
considered as a violation of rights. But in Guraiz the NGOs and Government
departments many times violate the traditions of communities badly.
VIPs from Pakistan and Azad Kashmir reportedly have been frequently
involved in illegal hunting and killing of wild animals like ibex, musk dear
and tiger in Game Reserves, Game Sanctuaries and National Parks of Azad
Kashmir. Last year Mr Bilal Mustfa Kharr, the son of Mustafa Kharr (former
chief minister Punjab and the son-in-law of Raja Farooq Haider (AJK Prime
Minister) was found involved in killing of a tiger in Machiara National Park
in Neelum Valley in Azad Kashmir. No case was filed against him according
to official record while it was internationally reported in media.
In turn, the convention on biological diversity (CBD,2004) has called for the
recognition of ‘‘the economic and socio-cultural costs and impacts arising
from the establishment and maintenance of protected areas, particularly
for indigenous and local communities, and (an adjustment of) policies to
ensure that such costs and impacts—including the cost of livelihood
opportunities forgone—are equitably compensated’’.
However, protected areas are often created without any form of public
involvement or agreement. There is often a situation where mistrust on the
part of community members. Thus, in order to get the communities
involvement, the first steps is establishing relationships and trust, as well
as building capacity within the communities to be able to make informed
decisions.
PFP has great concerns that unless protected area values are understood,
there is a risk that management actions, either deliberately or
inadvertently, will affect not only the natural resources but also the social
and economic situation, especially that of local people. Park managers have
to recognize that the traditional “fence and fines” management regime is
not effective anymore and a new regime of protected area management
must be upheld. The procedure must include cooperative, collaborative
relationships with local stakeholders who share the responsibility of
management.
PFP will get greater support for the protection of the area. The success of
a plan will depend on public and political support. It is essential to maintain
regular communication with the public on decisions that affect them, and
on the protection and use of the protected area.