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Mountain Areas Conservancy Project in Pakistan Directory

 

The Mountain Area Conservancy Project (MACP) aims to protect the rich biological heritage of the Karakurm, Hindukush and the Western Himalayan Mountain Ranges through community – based conservation approach. MACP offers a comprehensive package of interventions to address threats to biodiversity. The project focuses on empowering local communities to manage the ecosystem and natural resources and making them accountable for the quality of their stewardship. The Mountain Area Conservancy Project is being carried out by various organizations including the Ministry of Environment (MoE), Government of Pakistan as the executing agency and IUCN-The World Conservation Union Pakistan as implementing agency. MACP works in close collaboration with the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Department of Forests, Parks and Wildlife in Northern Areas (NA), Worldwide Fund for Nature Pakistan (WWF-P), the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP), and the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF). MACP is based on the premise that conservation activities are unlikely to be sustainable over the long term unless local communities are actively involved. The project has three major thrusts: a) empowering, organizing and enhancing the capacity of local communities to conserve biodiversity, b) enhancing the value of components of biodiversity for the local people, and c) creating a policy, legal, and financial framework that supports community-based conservation. Village, valley, and district level conservation committees are organized and take all key decisions at local levels. The MACP focuses on scaling up sustainable management of natural resources, especially biodiversity, from village level to valley level and ultimately to wider landscape level of conservancy. MACP activities are being undertaken in four geographical distinct conservancies spread over 16,300 km2. Two of these i.e. Nanga Parbat and Gojal are in NA and another two i.e. Tirichmir and Qashqar are located in NWFP. A Project Steering Committee (PSC) at the national level is overseeing and guiding its implementation. Project management is overseen and guided by two Project Management Committees (PMCs) at the regional level. Tri-Partite Review (TPR) is conducted by the GoP (MoLG&RD and Economic Affairs Division), UNDP and IUCNP for reviewing the progress annually taking key decisions. The Project Management Unit is located at Islamabad. Regional Offices are located at Chitral and Gilgit. There are 6 Field Units at Hunza, Astore, Skardu in Northern Areas and Booni, Chitral, and Mingora in NWFP. MACP is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) - The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Government of Pakistan (GoP), the total budget being $10.35M for 7 years. The project is based on a successful 4 year Pilot Phase funded through the GEF Pre-Investment Facility (PRIF) namely “Maintaining Biodiversity in Pakistan with Rural Community Development”. MACP Objectives, Develop and strengthen capacity to conserve biodiversity at the community level. Impart conservation values and provide avenues for information sharing on management of wild resources. Monitor the effects of project activities on biodiversity and on socio-economic indicators. Assist communities in attracting outside support for long-term eco-development. Develop a knowledge base about components of biodiversity, particularly those suitable for sustainable use. Assist government in revising policy and legislation to better support participatory conservation. Establish and operationalize endowment funds to sustain conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity at valley and conservancy level.

 

Website: http://www.macp-pk.org/