ISLAMABAD, Sept 1 (ABC): As many as 165 village conservation committees (VCCs) have been established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) under the wildlife component of the Upscaling Green Pakistan Programme (UGPP), expanding community participation in wildlife and habitat conservation.
According to official data available with Wealth Pakistan, detailing progress on major wildlife activities from FY2019 to the third quarter of FY2025-26, AJK accounts for 115 of the committees, while KP has established another 50. AJK therefore accounts for nearly 70% of the total, with KP accounting for the remainder.
The data records no VCCs under this particular activity for Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan or Gilgit-Baltistan. However, these regions have participated in several other conservation activities covered by the programme.
The VCCs form part of a wider range of wildlife interventions under the UGPP. These include expansion and management of protected areas, wildlife monitoring, community-based conservation, eco-tourism infrastructure and measures to curb illegal wildlife trade.
The progress data shows that 131 new protected areas have been established under the Protected Areas Initiative. Punjab accounts for 65 of these areas and KP for 29, while Gilgit-Baltistan has 16. Balochistan and AJK account for two each, according to the data.
The programme has also developed 70 management plans for protected areas. Gilgit-Baltistan leads with 32 plans, followed by AJK with 20 and KP with 14. Punjab accounts for three management plans and Balochistan for one.
Efforts to improve wildlife monitoring and curb illegal trade have also progressed. The programme has established 52 wildlife check posts, while authorities have conducted 148 wildlife surveys across different regions.
Community-based conservation represents another major area of activity. The data records 247 community-based projects, including 197 in Balochistan and 50 in KP.
The programme has also focused on improving water availability for wildlife, with 1,145 water points reported so far. Of these, 980 are in Balochistan, 120 in KP and 45 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Other interventions include 31 eco-tourism infrastructure initiatives in existing and new protected areas and the establishment of 24 breeding centres. The programme has also undertaken 47 solid-waste management interventions in protected areas.
In addition, six dossiers have been developed for the declaration of sites as Man and the Biosphere reserves under UNESCO, reflecting efforts to strengthen the international recognition and conservation of important ecosystems.
Employment generation is another component of the programme. According to the progress data, the wildlife component has generated 4,939 green jobs since the programme began.
The UGPP was initiated in 2019 as a nationwide programme covering forestry and wildlife resources, with its wildlife interventions ranging from protected-area management and habitat improvement to community participation and conservation-related employment.
