Hopes dashed for conserving Palas Valley's biodiversity as EU abandons funding

Amid alarming signals, the Pakistani authorities have appealed to the European Union (EU) to maintain its funding for a unique biodiversity conservation project in the remote Palas valley, in the northern district of Kohistan in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). "The project was [to have lasted] about five operational years, but the EU is pulling out after three operational years, leaving the local communities with problems. The huge amount spent so far will go to waste if the project comes to a halt," Dr Mumtaz Malik, chief conservator for wildlife in NWFP, told IRIN from Peshawar. The Palas valley, extending over 1,600 square kilometres, lies amid the Himalayan mountains and has been identified by environmentalists as a "hot spot of biodiversity". The unique mountain environment fosters a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna including some rare species such as the western Tragopan pheasant. Surveys between 1987 and 1995 identified over 500 various kinds of plants growing in the valley. It is also home to some 162 species of birds and 33 wild animals, according to Rab Nawaz, who works at the Palas Valley Conservation and Development Project (PCDP). He spoke to IRIN from Abbottabad, some 125 km from Islamabad. In November 1998 the EU and the Pakistani government signed an agreement to conserve the endangered species of the valley. The five-year project involved a total investment of about 4.8 million euro. However, it failed to get off the ground for more than two years. According to the NWFP officials, the technical assistance arrived by January 2001, while the flow of funds started only by July 2001. "They were to abandon the finds for the project by June this year, but following our requests they agreed to continue for another six months only, which ends by 31st December," Malik said. "[The] project is of five years, and the validity of PC-1 [project document] is till December 2005. But as per the EU rules, the activities of the projects should be completed a year before the validity expires. The gap of 12 months is for billing and reporting requirements," Imran Ashraf, PCDP programme manager at the EU, told IRIN in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. According to the EU official, the arrival of technical assistance, which landed in the country by January 2001, marked the start of the project. "So the project has completed its four years, and the achievements of the project are very much there," Ashraf maintained. The EU official added that the financing agreement expired on 30 June 2004. "When we saw that we were left with 18 months to go, we extended the project for another six months. But now we cannot go beyond this, because legally we need 12 months for financial closure." He added, however, that there were a few ongoing activities that had been hampered by the harsh winter weather, and time for these would be given later. "Conceptually, such conservation projects usually require 10-15 years for ground work, so when the conservation project ends there should be a sensible player left behind, such as community based organisations (CBOs) who can carry on the message of conservation and development," Saeed-uz-Zaman, PCDP's project director, told IRIN from Abbottabad. Palas has a largely traditional subsistence economy with a very low development status. Aside from three districts of Balochistan, Kohistan is Pakistan's least developed district, according to a 1989 survey, having only 4.8 percent of its land area cultivated, with poor agricultural production. Under the project, several suspension bridges, pathways, water mills and irrigation channels have been built. Some 10 hydroelectric units have also been set up with the involvement of local communities. In addition, health and sanitation initiatives, and livestock, grain and forest management programmes were also planned under the PCDP, according to NWFP government officials.