Forest related interventions and the stakeholders of forests in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan

Abstract

The forests of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan are vanishing at a high rate in spite of more than two decades of donor led interventions and extensive forest governance systems led by the state. Failure of most of the forest related projects and policies in meeting their intended objectives calls for searching out the underlying causes of the ineffectiveness of such interventions. Many development researchers have stressed the importance of stakeholder analysis. A holistic analysis of stakeholders, conflicts and power relations is an essential step to ensure the sustainability of development interventions and active participation of local actors. A wide range of actors can influence or be influenced by any forest related intervention in the NWFP. This paper, therefore, presents an exploratory analysis of the stakeholders' characteristics, power relations and conflicts in the context of interventions in the forestry sector of the NWFP. Various groups of stakeholders, for example, local communities, civil society organizations, religious and traditional institutions, state agencies, global actors, etc., are trying to operate within the contested political arena of the NWFP. This paper shows that on the one hand, the state as well as donor led interventions do not really engage in a meaningful dialogue with local stakeholders and institutions, and on the other hand, these entities themselves are not in a position to initiate a change in the local resource use. Thus, a way forward is seen in fostering a dialogue among key stakeholders.