Social aspects of reforestation on communal land - A case study of Tara-Gat mountain, lower Swat
Social aspects of reforestation on communal land - A case study of Tara-Gat mountain, lower Swat
M. Nafees and Zahid Ullah
ABSTRACT
Tara-Gat Mountain situated in Lower Swat region also called Swat Ranizai was investigated for social aspects in relation to seek guidance for future reforestation activities. For survey Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques including transit walk and semi-structured interview were used. Mountains are communal property that can be acquired as personal property by converting it in to agriculture land. The study area was reforested in 2000-2002 with the help of forest department and harvesting was banned for five years after consultation with the local people. On termination of the ban, a household located adjacent to the Tara-Gat Mountain, demarcated the newly forested area as his personal property. This created a conflict with the rest of the communal owners. Consequently the other communal owners started cutting the trees in the demarcated area. This initiated heavy deforestation that continued till the mountain was barren again. It was concluded that to avoid future loss, more in depth analysis of social context is mandatory. Further more interest of all the stakeholders must be addressed by providing corresponding legislative coverage.
Key words: Social codes of conduct, communal land, reforestation, livelihood opportunity
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March 2009
Vol. 59, Iss. 1
