APFED Booklet on Good Practices and Innovative Activities 2005 ...

Pakistan
2006
Showcase
Protection of Wildlife via Social Mainstreaming,
Capacity-building and Cooperation with the Indigenous
Hunting Tribal Communities of Tharparkar
Project Site Location Tharparkar District
2009
Background - Problems Addressed and Policy Responses
Tharparkar is a semi-arid area in southeastern Pakistan, on the
border with India. Kolhi and Bheel - indigenous non-Muslim
socially marginalised communities - were previously engaged
in illegal wild animal hunting. With awareness-raising and
training on alternative income-generating activities under
the project, local communities banned hunting to protect
endangered wildlife such as antelope, Siberian cranes and
peacocks.
A woman growing vegetables as alternative
income sources
Project Outline - Objectives and Activities
The project is aimed at enabling local communities to conserve wildlife via hunting bans and alternativeincome
creation. The Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment (SCOPE) works with local
organisations to promote awareness, set up community-based organisations (CBOs), conduct baseline
surveys and training on alternative income-generating jobs such as production of clothes and hand crafts
and provide micro-credit.
2008
2007
2005 2006
Impacts and Achievements
i) Creation of 32 CBOs, covering a total population of 15,204. ii) Provision of training sessions in Kolhi and
Bheel communities - 4 on management, 14 on carpentry (239 attended), 18 on cap-making (214), 9 on
animal vaccination (12), 4 on shawl-making (26) and 6 on carpet weaving (25). iii) Creation of revolving
funds and default-free loans provided to 25 persons. iv) Banning of hunting and logging in Dec. 2008 by
villages, and instigation of fines of 200,000 PKR for illegal hunting. v) Reduced hunting and logging, and
increased wildlife and vegetation cover, and vi) Increased incomes, with women commanding greater
respect.
Future Challenges
Greater effort is required to transform mindsets away from hunting and into alternative income-generating
activities; The scale of wildlife conservation needs to be expanded and a decision is needed on whether
to turn the areas into national parks, which would promote ecotourism as tourist destinations; The
<strong>APFED</strong> Showcase project has evolved into a newly launched project supported by the GEF-UNDP Small
Grant Programme to address forest conservation and local community empowerment where ecosystem
management and livelihood improvement need to be persued in greater convergence.
General Information
Name of the Implementing Organisation: Society for conservation and protection of environment (SCOPE)
Type of Organisation: NGO/CBO
Contact: Tanveer Arif, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
7/190 (1st Floor), Delhi Muslim Cooperative Housing,
Society (DMCHS) Block-3 off Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Pakistan
Tel: 92 21 34551226 - 7 Fax: 92 21 34551228 E-mail: scope@scope.org.pk
Website: http://www.scope.org.pk
Project Reviewer (NetRes / Collaborators) that monitors the project:
Masanori Kobayashi, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
E-mail: m-kobayashi@iges.or.jp
Area
Climate Change 3R Biodiversity & Ecosystem Water Capacity Development etc. Others
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