WWF's Approved Projects
in Pakistan

WWF in Pakistan

Meet WWF's People in the Field

Ashiq Ahmad, presently the Conservation Director (North West Frontier Province and Northern Areas), WWF-Pakistan, is considered to be one of just a handful of experts in conservation working there. His dedication has led him to become a world reference on topics of species and wildlife preservation.

A charismatic, handsome man of the Pathan tribe, very early on in life Ashiq focused on what he wanted to do. In his youth wildlife was a passion, which would later become his profession.

Born in Charsadda village in the North West Frontier of Pakistan in 1947, and beginning his education in a village school, the young Ashiq's aptitude led him to graduate in Zoology, followed by a post-graduation in Forestry from Peshawar. Another feather in his cap was the M.Sc in Natural Resource Management he attained from the University of Edinburgh in the UK.

Subsequent to his studies, Ashiq joined the Pakistan Forest Institute as a researcher. Very early on, whilst conducting field surveys, he was introduced to the the increasing and alarming pressures faced by wildlife species and their habitats all over Pakistan.

One of the first surveys he conducted was to determine the distribution and status of crocodiles, which were reportedly on the verge of extinction in Pakistan. Ashiq covered almost all the areas where these reptiles were thought to exist. In addition to the known sites, he discovered half a dozen other places that were new to scientific records as crocodile sites. A river near the town of Sibbi in the Baluchistan Province, which was once a haven for crocodiles, now had very few, due primarily to the villagers' practice of killing these animals on sight. Investigations revealed that during this century, people developed the unusual belief that if you saw a crocodile and did not kill it, your wife stood divorced. As a conservationist Ashiq had luckily spotted several crocodiles on that trip, but as a married man he was unlucky!

The nature detective

Subsequent research on birds led him to identify the flyways and corridors of migratory birds (1980-91) and some of the factors that threaten their existence. His contribution to the conservation of these species has been invaluable. In 1982, Ashiq rediscovered the marbled teal duck (Marmaronetta angustirastris) which had been declared extinct in Pakistan. He has also recorded the sightings of swans and various species of birds which had not been seen in the country for over 60 years.

Ashiq's discoveries have not been confined to bird species either. His nose for detection coupled with his experience in the field has led him to locate several new wetland sites as well. In 1985, in an effort to track the endangered Sulaiman Markhor (Capra falconeri jerdoni), an endemic wild goat, he started surveys in Pakistan's 'tribal belt' in the province of Balochistan. While on the wild goat's trail, the sleuth in Ashiq discovered that a big chunk of forest, the life blood of the local tribal people, was quickly disappearing. Fortunately for these tribals, Ashiq went on to devise a plan to protect not only these forests, but the livelihood of the local Shirani people.

Taking a gamble

In 1991, Ashiq joined WWF-Pakistan and instantly got the chance to make a real difference based on his previous discovery in the Sulaiman Mountains. He formulated a multi-faceted project that would protect the forests and biodiversity of the Sulaiman Mountains, focusing especially on protecting migratory birds from hunting in the Northwest Frontier Province, whilst demonstrating how sustainable utilization of wildlife species benefits conservation as well as the local economy. It was a new approach for the area, and it was a gamble that paid off.

To save the forests of the Sulaiman Mountains, Ashiq had to face greedy contractors willing to go to any length to protect their interests. He also had to work intimately with rival tribal communities that live by their own rigid traditions and are involved in a complicated chain of conflicts and disputes. Finally, he had to risk his life convincing tribals who had been feuding for years to sit down and talk to one another. These men are known to talk with their Kalashnikov rifles first, and tongues later.

The tribal belt has its own autonomous political and administrative set up. The forests, valued by the contractors and tribes in different ways, are the local people's only source of cash income. To get through this maze, Ashiq had to do two things: resolve the inter-tribal disputes, and help create alternate sources of income to reduce pressure on the forests. So far the strategy is working: a part of the forest is now protected, and the project is being extended to other parts of the mountain region.

The project has its detractors, but they are not numerous or agitated enough to throw a spanner in the works. More importantly, the Shirani tribals are happy with it, especially with the prospect of gaining income from trophy hunting of the Markhor (Capra falconeri jerdoni), a mountain goat with a distinctive cork-screw horn which can fetch between $10,000 to $15,000 apiece.

Bird tactics

To protect migrating birds traversing along the internationally renowned Chitral Flyway, in the Northern Areas of Pakistan, Ashiq found himself working with a society where every third person is a hunter, where any attempt to regulate hunting is considered a serious violation of local rights, and where hunters are proud to break and abuse hunting laws. In addition, politicians seek votes on the promise that the government will never interfere in hunting activities. So things were not going to be easy.

Although this project is still finding its feet, Ashiq is carrying out the overall strategy with some good results. For the first time in Pakistan, private bird refuges are in place in the project area, and hunters have formed associations with their own rules and ethics for bird hunting. They are now very much aware that should they wish to continue their sport, they will need to ensure that only a sustainable amount of birds are hunted.

Not only this, but they have noticed the dramatic increase in a ferocious mosquito-type insect, locally known as keeshum, whose population was previously controlled by the visiting birds who fed off them. Unless the birds are allowed to visit the area without disturbance, the keeshum are likely to proliferate.

Children, have also joined hands in conservation by enlisting in conservation clubs in their schools. These youngsters begin hunting with their catapaults at a young age as they have no other entertainment. However, also on realizing the importance of these birds to the environment, hundreds have now surrendered their slingshots to WWF.

As this programme could not be successful without the full cooperation of the local hunters, this project was full of uncertainties. If even one man bucked the programme, the whole process could collapse. The idea was to initiate carefully controlled commercial trophy hunting for foreigners, with the revenue benefiting the local communities.

Although the government has a rule forbidding all mammal hunting, hunting ibex is permitted under license. This was allowed subsequent to Ashiq's deliberations with the government and local communities to invoke the principle of sustainable hunting practices. The ban on the export of trophies was another hurdle he had to overcome. Fortunately both sustainable hunting and exporting trophies were permitted due to the results WWF had achieved, as well as Ashiq's persuasive charm with both officials and local communities.

In 1994, the government issued five ibex permits to foreign hunters, at a cost of $3000 per animal. The deal was that 75 per cent of the $15,000 revenue would go to local communities. This project has now become a precedent for others. Given the magnitude of Pakistan's environmental problems, Ashiq's efforts may seem negligible forests are still being cut down and hunting still continues unregulated. However, his work provides guidance and will become something for others to build upon. It will probably take longer than his lifetime for this to happen, and for tangible results to emerge. However, Ashiq is satisfied that, thanks to the support of the Government of Pakistan and WWF-Pakistan, he has given all he could.

This was contributed by Omayma Butt of WWF-Pakistan


Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature