Islamabad Wildlife Management Board clears air

Islamabad: Regarding the news reports about IWMB’s current board being removed, IWMB would like to set the record straight. As per our understanding of the recently passed Islamabad Nature and Wildlife Management Act 2024, it was meant to strengthen the institution of the Board as well as the Margallah Hills National Park.

The view that since the Ordinance of 1979 stands repealed, all Federal Government Notifications issued under it – including the notifications pertaining to the National Park and the notifications pertaining to the Board and its employees – also stand repealed would go against both the letter and spirit of the new law. As per independent legal opinion obtained by the Board, the Board has not only survived the Act, it now enjoys a 3-year tenure which it would be illegal to interfere with.

When the Margallah Hills National Park was conceived, its aim was to protect the natural heritage in and around Islamabad. While the middle class and those with lesser means still find their way to Daman-e-koh as a get-away, the elites found a new playground: the Monal restaurant. Late into the night, long queues filled with SUVs could be seen straddling the sides of a road alongside Monal. Since the restaurant was demolished in October this year by IWMB under the orders of the Supreme Court, it is estimated that traffic going up to Pir Sohava has reduced by 60 percent, bringing relief to local communities who can now reach Islamabad easily, especially during medical emergencies.

While the legislation that caters to national parks allows for development and recreation, it does so with the aim of ensuring that the sustainability and ecological wellbeing of the protected area is not compromised. Monal restaurant was anything but sustainable in its operations. It was built and leased to the owner by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) without having gone through the required Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and procedures mandated under the Islamabad Wildlife Ordinance 1979 and related rules.

There was no check in terms of how it acquired its water and for what purposes. Moreover the restaurant was free to dispose of its solid waste and wastewater into the open environment, thus contaminating pristine streams that come down the hills. The heavy traffic and profuse illumination at nighttime was a major concern for the wildlife in the area.

Monal wasn’t the only enterprise that had flouted the laws. The La Montana/Gloria Jeans restaurants developed after Monal had similarly been a catastrophic addition to the environs of the protected area. Environmental regulations were sidelined and flouted and hence the Supreme Court upheld the earlier Islamabad High Court judgement and ordered their demolition and to “ensure that the said land again becomes an integral part of the National Park”.

What is required is an independent organisation that runs the national park on the pattern of the United States National Park Service. The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board is an autonomous board working under the Ministry of Climate Change and its mandate is to protect the ecological, socio-culture and environmental heritage of Margallah Hills National Park. It is currently finalizing the master plan for the former Monal site by rewilding the area turning it into a Viewpoint for the public and putting the final touches to a scientific management plan for the entire Margallah Hills National Park.

If the purpose is to meet the basic needs of the visitors, that can be done sustainably with the help of communities in and around the protected area without causing extreme disturbance to the natural environment. The Supreme Court has ordered that kiosks can continue to function inside the Margallah Hills if they are regulated. It is now IWMB’s job to regulate these small eateries.

There is also a popular misconception that the national park does not make a significant contribution to economy. Though the primary purpose of the national park as clearly stated in the new legislation is preservation of wildlife, the Rawal Lake and Shakarparian area of the national park includes several large restaurants and clubs, and the lake view and other recreational areas which support significant economic activity which are far larger in scale compared to those demolished recently.

The question for the government and the country is: are we to maintain balance between development and environment and give recognition to our international commitments to climate change and biodiversity, or do we sacrifice the remaining part of the national park lying in Margallah Hills to financial benefits of a select few?

Across the globe, protected areas such as national parks are not only sites of recreation but also of self-exploration, reflection and inquiry. It is about time that we, in Pakistan, started to value and care for our natural environment and all that it entails. Islamabad’s beauty and indeed given the rising air pollution in our cities, its well being, lies in protecting the sanctity of Margallah Hills National Park. IWMB’s current Board is trying its best to protect the Margallah Hills and they should be supported, not sabotaged.