National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).

This NBSAP 2017-2030 is the second sectoral document developed by the Government of Pakistan about the Biodiversity issue and demonstrates the national commitment to implement the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources, in line with the Vision's statement according to which the NBSAP has to provide the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services to all the segments of society both the current and future generations, in particular the marginalized, the poor, and the vulnerable by restoring and conserving the rich natural biodiversity heritage of Pakistan.
The two main goals of the Strategy are (i) to conserve biodiversity at priority sites, focusing on in-situ site-specific conservation work, high priority ex-situ conservation, combating wildlife trafficking, and illegal timber trade; (ii) to mainstream biodiversity as an essential element of human development increasing awareness of how biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services contribute to human well-being, sustain development outcomes, and promote integration - organized around crosscutting issues - , with key sectors such as agriculture, poverty alleviation, climate change, health, democracy and governance, economic growth, and trade. To reach these goals, the five following objectives need to be pursued (i) address the biodiversity loss causes by mainstreaming an understanding of biodiversity across government and society; (ii) reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use; (iii) improve the status of biodiversity; (iv) enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services; and (v) enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management, and capacity building.
To make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable, the NBSAP seeks for a series of strategies and actions. In particular, as regards agriculture (i) the considerations of sustainable agriculture, bio diversification of agro-ecosystems, conservation of pollinators and soil biodiversity, wise use of transgenic organisms, and climate change will be incorporated in agriculture policies and plans; (ii) models of sustainable production of major crops with minimum external inputs and wise use of water shall be developed, tested, and demonstrated on farms; (iii) important local varieties, land races and breeds will be improved through selection for resistance to disease, drought tolerance, and for increased production; and (iv) labeling of seed in local languages shall be developed and labeling of food items derived from GM crops for consumers. As regards both inland and marine fisheries (i) the capacity of fisheries departments will be strengthened to ensure compliance with laws and regulations for harvesting fish and invertebrates; (ii) protected areas covering at least 10% of the marine area of biodiversity significance will be established and managed effectively; (iii) the number of operating fleets will be capped to prevent over exploitation of marine fish and invertebrate resources; (iv) the fishing boats will be modified to improve the outdated fishing methods; (v) an assessment of stocks and limits of sustainable harvest levels of major species will be determined and strictly enforced; (vi) a procedure for sustainable harvest of fish stock will be developed in early phase of NBSAP implementation to minimize impact on threatened species and vulnerable habitats; and (vii) the spread of alien species will be prevented through appropriate measures to prevent their escape into natural habitats from hatcheries and aquaculture. Finally, as regards forestry (i) at least 25% of all degraded forest ecosystems will be restored by 2020 to improve their resilience and contribution to carbon stocks; (ii) a forest classification system using agreed international standards including broad indicators of biodiversity will be developed; (iii) a GIS lab will be established to prepare a baseline and monitor health (deforestation) and condition (degradation) of forests using remote sensing techniques and impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services; (iv) collaborative, or joint, forest management approaches will be piloted in different forest ecosystems to reduce the anthropogenic impacts by improving livelihoods of local people based on sustainable use of components of biodiversity; and (v) representative forest landscapes of special importance for biodiversity will be designated as Forest Biodiversity Reserves and effectively managed.
In order to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the document focuses on the need of linking the conservation issues with the economic benefits for the resource users since biodiversity loss and the lack of access to natural resources leads to an increase in workload and economic hardships, particularly for women. Thus, it proposes (i) introducing cooperative management regimes for conservation and sustainable use of natural resources by local and marginalized communities especially the women and other vulnerable groups giving them increased responsibility for the management of such resources; (ii) empowering local communities and build their capacity to both collaborate in the management of PAs as well as establish community conservation areas on common property lands; and (iii) launching pilot projects to develop and test approaches for organizing, empowering, and building capacity of coastal communities to harvest all fish and invertebrate stocks in a sustainable manner.
Resilience of livelihoods to disasters shall be increased through (i) restoration of at least 20% of degraded ecosystems of ecological significance to combat desertification and demonstrate economic, social, and cultural benefits; and (ii) preparation of Climate Change Adaptation Plans for the coastal areas and capacity of coastal communities developed to cope with the impacts of climate change.
As for the Governance, a Coordination Committee will be set up at the national level for coordination among Ministries, facilitate implementation of NBSAP in different federating units, monitor progress, assist in removal of bottlenecks if any, and provide guidance for resource mobilization. Similarly, Steering Committees will be established in every federating unit for coordination among different sectors, to facilitate cross-sectoral integration, monitor progress on implementation, and help in resource mobilization. In addition to the above, communication resources will be mobilized to raise awareness regarding biodiversity and its importance. The progress on the implementation of the NBSAP shall be monitored on an annual basis through a flexible framework of indicators keeping in view the national circumstances and priorities.