UNS: Since 2014, under the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province’s forest resources have suffered alarming and unprecedented degradation.
Independent observations and time-line analysis of satellite imagery, including Google Earth and other open-source platforms, clearly indicate a consistent reduction in forest cover across several regions of KP.
The long-standing menace of the timber mafia has continued unchecked, severely undermining the ecological sustainability of KP’s forests.
Instead of strengthening protection mechanisms, successive policies introduced over the years have weakened forest governance and contradicted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Ordinance, 2002, as well as internationally recognized principles of sustainable forest management.
Policies introduced under various names—such as so-called woodlot initiatives, removal of dry and dead trees, and relaxed rules under the illicit timber policies in sensitive regions like Kohistan and Chitral—have facilitated large-scale extraction rather than conservation.
These measures have collectively contributed to irreversible damage to natural forests, biodiversity loss, and reduced resilience of forest ecosystems.
Of serious concern is the reported plan to de-notify approximately 650,000 acres of Guzara Forests in Hazara Division, allegedly paving the way for their conversion into housing societies.
The Makniyal Forest is a prominent example where forest land is reportedly being eyed for real estate development, threatening one of the region’s critical ecological buffers.
Equally alarming is the apparent disregard for the Environmental Emergency declared by the Prime Minister during the 2025 floods, which explicitly highlighted the role of deforestation in intensifying climate disasters.
Despite this declaration, forest clearing continues, including along border areas that historically served as natural camouflage and ecological shields.
Reports further suggest that nearly 27% of KP’s remaining natural forests are currently under threat, with fears that large portions may be converted into commercial housing schemes.
Even the Margalla Hills, once a symbol of protected natural heritage, have reportedly been encroached upon and fragmented by expanding societies.
These actions not only violate national forest laws and environmental commitments but also endanger public safety, climate resilience, water security, and the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.
We demand:
Immediate halt to forest de-notification and land conversion.
Independent satellite-based forest cover audit since 2014.
Accountability of officials involved in anti-forest policies.
Alignment of provincial policies with the Forest Ordinance 2002 and international environmental standards.
Recognition of forests as critical infrastructure in the face of climate emergencies.
The forests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are not expendable assets—they are the province’s natural defense system. Continued neglect will push them beyond the point of recovery.
A review and reform of the KP Forest ordinance 2002, and subsequent legislation and policies to remove the filth that has been introduced, seemingly with ill intent at the behest of the mafia and vested interests from within the forest department, and to restore the integrity of forest conservation for posterity and the greater good of the society , as in the original legislation.
Lacking that, we can continue firefighting but the framework for abuse will remain intact.
