1. Youth Empowerment and Energy Conversation for Supporting STEM , NRM & Rural Development
Project Description:
The project is re-positioning the school as an agent of social change; and reach out to 20,000 people living in the forest covered area of Pir Chinasi with an integrated solution of “e-School” to attract community ownership through offering renewable energy option and quality education facilities along with enabling technologies and know-how at their doorsteps. This e-Learning platform would also provide for running training courses for the young men and women of the community on income generating / livelihood skills. In addition to imparting soft skills, the project also envisages a basic vocational center associated to each such institution, where the girls / women of the community could come in the afternoons for their skill development. Upon certification, the trained women could use these facilities as their ‘production hub’ and connect with the market for gainful trade.
Project Objectives:
The project primarily focuses on human development for sustainable livelihood and conservation of natural resources.
Project Deliverable:
I. Social mobilization for efficient management of indigenous resources, local heritage, biodiversity, and conservation of natural resources8 | Page
II. Upgrading 10 community schools as Tele-Centers & Skill Centers for youth inspiration, STEM education and women empowerment for livelihood support
III. Supporting 10 Schools / Tele-Centers and 200 households with domestic solar power units
IV. Capacity enhancement of the youth and the rural women in STEM, NRM and income generating skills
2. Biodiversity Conservation in AJK
Biodiversity Conversation of Qazinag Game Reserve in Azad Jammu & Kashmir
Project Description:
The conservation and management plan required to promote the adaptive and integrated management of biodiversity and the park’s wilderness qualities and cultural character, through becoming a preferred innovative nature-based tourism destination, promoting community participation and empowerment, and including public/private partnerships, which also benefits state economically, social and educational development supported by sound research.
Immediate objectives were to promote the adaptive and integrated management of biodiversity, and to identify and manage species of special concern e.g. Markhor, Himalayan Musk deer, Cheer pheasant, griffon vulture to ensure their persistence and minimizing human-induced threats and ensuring their genetic integrity and cultural character through promoting community participation and empowerment.
The project aimed at minimizing the negative impacts of poor conservation strategies and development along its borders, through proactive engagement with surrounding communities and regional planners. The achievement of the project’s aspirations depends on understanding the relationships and interdependencies between various stakeholders. The project will co-operate with the relevant international, national, provincial and local government structures where these affect the reserve and keep track of issues affecting the reserve and region to ensure functional ecosystem are protected. Through education about the importance of biodiversity, the project intends to raise the awareness of people and communities, in the interface zone, to the plight of conservation in the region. By building positive relationships with local communities and providing a central point for conservation ideas and examples the can achieve the objective of this project.
Objectives
To conduct a baseline survey of the area.To develop a coordination mechanism with all the stockholders (Govt, Communities, NGOs, and armed forces).To identify the problems and the nature and extent of community dependence on the biodiversity resources of the area and to suggest alternative resources.To conduct need assessment of the communities.To put forward possible solutions of all the problems
Deliverables
Restoration and maintainenance natural ecosystem patterns, processes and function.To provide a range of ecosystem services.To identify and manage species of special concern (e.g. Markhor, Himalayan Musk deer, Cheer pheasant, griffon vulture in animals and Taxus waliichiana and native oak tree in vegetative species) to ensure their persistence.The indirect beneficiaries will include the department of the Govt. of AJK, Army, and NGOs who are considered to be the stakeholders of the area.
Following project indicators will be used for achieving the outputs during the tenure of the Project:
Development of Baseline data for Per Acre Coverage of forest or number of trees (forest density) Population status of species through survey and studies (no. and kind) Consumption of fuelwood in killograms per household per month Consumption of timber in number of trees per year
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3. Mountain Areas Conservation in GB and KPK
Taaleem Foundation, along with its sister concern – SBZ Associates, undertook the study of “Review of the Mechanism for Conservation of Mountain Areas Fund”, which is primarily meant for Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Problem Statement
Mountain Areas Conservation Fund (MACF) is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and incorporated on 17th February 2004 under the Companies Ordinance 1984. The company is the custodian of an “Endowment Fund”, the proceeds of which are to be spent on the conservation of mountain areas of Pakistan in the designated conservancies of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Since its incorporation, the company has continuously remained dormant for multiple reasons, varying in nature and complexity. There is no permanent staff to run the affairs even on the basis of “business as usual”. The Board of Directors has met 22 times during the past 14 years with 9 meetings of the General Body / AGM, but to no avail, as finances could not be rolled out to the beneficiaries of the Fund. Non-utilization of available funds led to a lack of trust by the provincial governments as well as potential beneficiaries. The structural difficulties in design, coupled with the given governance mechanism of the company have failed to deliver.
Terms of Reference
With a view to address these challenges in the project design and its implementation framework, the Ministry of Climate Change decided to study and review the whole model with a view to get a critical analysis of the root causes and seek recommendations for mid-course corrections. While there was a question mark on the efficacy of the model of the company as a not-for-profit legal entity, designed to invest the endowment fund, generate profits and spend in conservation initiatives, the Ministry recognized the following terms of reference for the study:
a. To review the management processes and legal status of the Mountain Areas Conservation Fund
b. To make recommendations for streamlining the business processes to achieve the objectives of the Fund.
Designated Conservancies
| DesignatedConservancies | MountainRegions | Habitats | Area(sq km) | Contiguous PAs | |
| Tirichmir | KP | Hindu Kush | Cold dry Alpine desert | 3,580 | Chitral Gol NP |
| Qashdar | KP | Hindu Kush | Dry temperate forest | 3,050 | Goleen Gol and |
| Mahudand GRs | |||||
| Gojal | GB | Karakoram | Cold dry Alpine desert | 4,830 | Khunjerab NP |
| Nanga Parbat | GB | Western | Dry temperate | 4,905 | Deosai Plateau |
| Himalaya | coniferous forest, dry | NP | |||
| Alpine habitats | Satpara WS | ||||
| Astore WS |
4. Social Forestry in Balochistan
Taaleem Foundation along with SBZ Associates, Balochistan Forest Department, District Governments of Zhob and Kila Saifullah launches a social forestry project in two districts of Balochistan with the title of “ONE CHILD ONE TREE, SAVE THE NATURE CAMPAIGN” on 12-18 March 2018.
AFFORESTATION
Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees (forestation) in an area where there was no previous tree cover.
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree” – Martin Luther King Jr.
ONE CHILD, ONE TREE PROGRAM
Taaleem Foundation in partnership with the government authorities devised an innovative plan to generate awareness for greater greenery in the country with its “One Child, One tree” Program during the spring of 2018. Primary theme of the project was, “Go green to keep this world clean”.
The Program involved an ambitious plan of having the primary school-going children of TF Grammar School System to plant a seed and nurture the plant till it grows into a tree.
The idea was to create a bond between the children and the trees, right from childhood, Environment Minister said, With the ‘One child, one tree’ Program the environment ministry plans to start getting children in nursery schools to sow a seed in their schools and have them to nurture the plant individually till the time they remain in the schools.
When the same children leave the school, they would be allowed to carry with them the plant that they sowed and replant it at their home or anywhere else that they want to and where they can track the growth of the tree.
As the children grow up, the plant will also grow with the same children looking after them. This way by the time a child grows into an adult, he or she is also likely to develop a special bond with the tree that he/she planted.
The Principals TF Grammar Schools of Zhob and Kila Saifullah, while talking to the students on this occasion, highlighted the importance of plants in the context of current climate change, which in turns causes global warming. They also added that our religion also teaches us to plant trees and nurture them with care.
The Forest Department of the Government of Balochistan provided 1000 tress to Taaleem Foundation for the purpose and promised to repeat the project every successive year. Meanwhile the schools, with help of their governing bodies called ‘School Syndicates’ were mandated to identify the community and local areas where the students could plant these trees. Each student was tasked to plant the tree at his/her family land, take care of it with help of his/her family and nurture the tree so that it could sustain in the long run.
