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DEGRADATION OF JUNIPER FOREST IN THE HINDUKUSH HIMALAYAN REGION OF CHITRAL DISTRICT, NORTHERN PAKISTAN
By Aziz Ali

Chitral district, Pakistan, lies in the remote and isolated Hindu Kush mountain region. It remains isolated at least five months in winter by heavy snowfall on its two gateways - Lawari Pass (3200 m) in the south and Shandur Pass (3720 m) in the north. The rural people depend largely on traditional subsistence agriculture, producing cereals and raising some livestock.

Juniper
Juniper is one of the oldest tree genera in the world. Many of its close relatives have been found as fossils. It grows extremely slowly: only 1 mm diameter and 25 mm height per year. Junipers are extensive in dry temperate regions and sub-alpine scrub forests of Afghanistan, Iran, Arabia, Syria and some parts of Europe. They are common at 1500 - 4200 m in the inner dry ranges of Himalayas from Nepal to Afghanistan and western Tibet. In Pakistan, juniper forests are found in Chitral, Gilgit, Kurum Agency, Kaghan Valley and Balochistan Province.

Four Juniper species are commonly found in Chitral: J. communis, J. recurva, J. excelsa and J. turkistanica.

• J. communis is a common and gregarious species, found between 2400 to 4250 meters elevation. It is a dense shrub, some times a small tree procumbent at a high elevation. The berries are blue-black and ripen by October of the following year.
• J. recurva, also called weeping blue Juniper, is a gregarious shrub often covering a large area either in pure stands or mixed with J. communis. It has very long underground or creeping stems. From these creeping stems rise numerous short erect branches, which are thick and almost impenetrable. This species can easily be identified by its drooping branchlets, glaucous blue foliage and reddish brown heartwood.
• J. excelsa is a large tree commonly found above 2400 m.
• J. turkistanica is a small erect tree, found between 4000 to 4250 m, with somewhat longer cones and seeds than that of J. excelsa.

The importance of Junipers can be judged by their social, economic, environmental and ecological values. The forests meet many domestic needs of the mountain communities such as construction material, fuelwood, thatch, fencing material, grazing for livestock and household medicines. Juniper cover in the watersheds of Chitral protects against desiccating winds, absorbs rainwater, reduces runoff and regulates the flow of streams. The importance of Juniper forest is also substantial because of the unique associated flora and fauna. Plant species associated with Juniper forests in Chitral include Rawe (Ferula narthex), Katch (Allium sp.), Tulipa sp., Soi (Eremurus stenophyllus).

Many fauna species are associated with Juniper forests: Kashmir markhor (Capra falconeri), Himalayan ibex (Capra ibex), snow leopard (Panthera unica), black bear (Selnorctors tibetanus), Blandford fox (Vulpes cona), Pollo's cat (Felis manul), wolf (Canis lupus), Himalayan snow cock (Tetraogallus himalayensis), chukar (Alectorus graeca), Sakar falcon (Falco cherrug), Agama lizard (Agama cancasia) and snakes.

In the past, the upper dry and barren mountains of Chitral were covered with thick and healthy Juniper forests. The people used to collect dead and fallen materials from nearby forests for timber and fuel. With the increase of population (2.5%/year), land was fragmented and the natural resources, including forests, came under severe pressure. The pressure further intensified after 1969, when Chitral state was abrogated and included in the North West Frontier Province as a district. The centuries-old traditional system of managing natural resources was shattered and the provincial government took over the management of all natural resources in the district. The people who were once responsible for controlling, managing and caring for the forests became the enemy of the forests and other related natural resources, as they lost much of their usufruct and ownership rights. Since then, the forest in general and Juniper forests in particular have suffered severe degradation, denudation and depletion.

Despite the continuous efforts of some NGOs like the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP )- a project of Aga Khan Foundation working for poverty alleviation and sustainable management of natural resources through community participation in northern Pakistan; IUCN,WWF and the local government forest and wildlife department, the message of conservation, sustainable management of natural resources and their importance for future generations, has not yet been inculcated to the major segment of the mountain society.

All rural households and almost all urban ones in Chitral are dependent on fuelwood for heating and cooking. All the accessible Juniper forests in the district have been clear felled during the past few decades. Their sparse remnants can be seen in various localities of Chitral.

Junipers are extensively lopped, primarily for extracting ash from the young branches, which is used locally in preparation of snuff (naswar) - an addiction of many villagers. This practice injures the trees and allows entry of various pathogens, particularly the wood-rotting fungus that damages the whole tree.

Juniper is the slowest growing tree species with very poor regeneration. Young seedlings usually come up under mother trees or inside shrubs, where seeds scattered by wind or birds find a favourable seedbed. The seedlings are extremely tender and survive only on humus inside the partial shade and shelter of thorny shrubs and or lower branches of the older Juniper trees. They are very slow growing and barely attain a height of 10 cm at the end of the first growing season. Only about ten percent of the seed is viable and the survival percentage of seedlings is extremely low due to aridity and high biotic pressure.

Some suggestions for conservation
Junipers are the most vulnerable tree species in Chitral and need immediate attention from the government, NGOs and international environmental agencies. Chitral's Junipers can only be conserved if the causal factors -ruthless and indiscriminate cutting, lopping, burning, over- exploitation and destruction of their natural habitat- are checked, and the underlying causes which compel the poor mountain communities to overuse the forests are addressed promptly.

The only immediate protection of the Juniper remnants is through legislation banning the cutting. Juniper is the only conifer which has natural coppicing ability and the degraded Juniper forests can be replenished within a decade through a complete ban on green felling and lopping. At the same time, the increasing demand for fuelwood, timber and fodder should be met by bringing more barren lands under irrigation and encouraging tree plantations involving local communities. Alternative sources of energy, such as electricity, LPG and kerosene, should also be provided to the community at a subsidised rate.

Contact:
The Aga Khan Rural Support Program Chitral Pakistan
Regional Program Office Chitral
Email:aliaziznrm@hotmail.com

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