Chitral Gol National Park Deodar (Cedrus Deodora) forest.

The mountainous region of North West Frontiers of Pakistan embracing the Himalayan, Karakorum and Hindukush Ranges are very rich in fauna and flora. HKH region which is one of the ten mega centres and part of the one of the 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world. These mountains are endowed with a rich and diverse gene pool, species and ecosystems of global importance.

Ayubia National Park at a glance.

In this project we will conduct a systematic review of the available literature pertinent to historic drivers for designation, management and global importance of protected areas in North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Field visits and participatory observation of the protected areas includes Ayubia National Park and Chitral Gol National Park will be carried out in close collaboration with government officers, NGOs and local people in order to collect the existing on-ground information.

The involvement of local communities of these protected areas will be observed by conducting a Questionnaire survey translated in the local language with assistance of local people from the region. Also key informant interviews (structured and semi-structured) with different stakeholders from Government, NGOs, Academia and Public representative will be conducted to develop an understanding of the use, governance and management of Protected Areas in the region. SWOT analysis technique will be used to evaluate the existing governance model of PA’s and an attempt will be made to develop a understanding of effective and sustainable future governance model with consultation of all the key stockholders.

The results and finding from this study will be made available for the organizations and different stockholders involved in the management and governance of these Protected Areas of NWFP Pakistan.