overview of environment and sustainable development in pakistan
Pakistan has grown conscious of the burden it puts on sustainability resulting from development. The environment, however, is still degrading at a rate that affects the livelihoods and health of Pakistanis, the most vulnerable being the poor. In 1995, the World Bank estimated that the cost of remediation of environmental degradation is 2.6 per cent of Pakistan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Pollution, deforestation etc. results in ecological imbalance, a problem that needs to be fixed. However, for a country like Pakistan whereby the costs of replenishment of ecology is not fully appreciated, it is difficult to sustain the environment. (Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development and Research, n.d.)
What Pakistan has done so far to Sustain its Environment
Pakistan's government has taken a step to promote the awareness of guarding widlife through projects such as the Palas Conservation and Development Project (PCDP) and more. Extinction of certain animals are due to climate change, hence favourable environments are necessary for the livelihood of wildlife. Also, the hunting of mountainous animals, such as the ibex, for food, has been banned by the Pakistan government.
Measures have also been taken to reduce deforestation and conserve the forests. With assistance by the World Bank, the government has conducted a study which revealed a large consumption of wood in Pakistan. This means that deforestation occurs on high scale, as the people are heavily dependent on wood as fuel for cooking as well as water heating. This is especially so in rural, tribal areas. Pakistan's efforts in reducing deforestation as well as to preserve widlife, include large scale commercial plantations, and watershed rehabilitation through reforestation etc. (Inayat, 2013)
Pakistan has to make the necessary changes to regard conservation as not a separate issue, but a crucial, integral aspect towards a better economy, reduction of poverty, and preservation of the environment. Although recognized, conservation has yet to receive sufficient attention. Concurrently, connections between decreeasing poverty as well as sustaining the environment needs to be further comprehended. To the poor in Pakistan, the environment is of greater importance to them as compared to the rich, as the environment large affects impoverished Pakistanis. The Pakistan Poverty Reduction Strategy has therefore recognized that the environment is intricately linked to the livelihoods of those living in poverty.
The Clean Drinking Water for All Programme is a strategy that has been designed to enable the poor to be protected from waterborne diseases that result from the consumption of water that has been contaminated.
What Pakistan has done so far to Sustain its Environment
Pakistan's government has taken a step to promote the awareness of guarding widlife through projects such as the Palas Conservation and Development Project (PCDP) and more. Extinction of certain animals are due to climate change, hence favourable environments are necessary for the livelihood of wildlife. Also, the hunting of mountainous animals, such as the ibex, for food, has been banned by the Pakistan government.
Measures have also been taken to reduce deforestation and conserve the forests. With assistance by the World Bank, the government has conducted a study which revealed a large consumption of wood in Pakistan. This means that deforestation occurs on high scale, as the people are heavily dependent on wood as fuel for cooking as well as water heating. This is especially so in rural, tribal areas. Pakistan's efforts in reducing deforestation as well as to preserve widlife, include large scale commercial plantations, and watershed rehabilitation through reforestation etc. (Inayat, 2013)
Pakistan has to make the necessary changes to regard conservation as not a separate issue, but a crucial, integral aspect towards a better economy, reduction of poverty, and preservation of the environment. Although recognized, conservation has yet to receive sufficient attention. Concurrently, connections between decreeasing poverty as well as sustaining the environment needs to be further comprehended. To the poor in Pakistan, the environment is of greater importance to them as compared to the rich, as the environment large affects impoverished Pakistanis. The Pakistan Poverty Reduction Strategy has therefore recognized that the environment is intricately linked to the livelihoods of those living in poverty.
The Clean Drinking Water for All Programme is a strategy that has been designed to enable the poor to be protected from waterborne diseases that result from the consumption of water that has been contaminated.