Inauguration Ceremony of Karot Biodiversity Management Plan Field Office, Bathiya, AJ&K

The inaugural ceremony began with a welcome address by Mr Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, Country Representative of IUCN Pakistan, who recognised the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders in promoting biodiversity conservation across the region. Mr Noorul Arifeen Zuberi, Advisor at CSAIL, followed with remarks highlighting the contributions of Karot Power Company (Pvt) Limited (KPCL) to conservation initiatives and emphasising the vital role of community engagement in environmental protection. He also commended the project teams for their dedicated fieldwork and congratulated all stakeholders on achieving a major milestone—the completion of the field office building.

Mr Asim Jamal, Project Manager of the Karot BMP, briefed the audience on the project's conservation activities, which included wildlife population assessments, ecological surveys of the eight nullahs within the project area, and subsequent data analysis. He also highlighted the formation of eight valley conservation committees, nine women’s conservation committees, and 18 school nature clubs. In addition, he shared that 198 community awareness sessions were conducted, along with over 200 conservation drives that actively engaged students, teachers, and community members.

In his keynote address, the chief guest, Mr Amar Mehmood, Secretary, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wildlife & Fisheries AJ&K, formally acknowledged the significant contributions of IUCN Pakistan in promoting biodiversity conservation and promoting community participation through the Karot BMP project. He underscored the vital importance of such initiatives in ensuring the ecological sustainability of development endeavours.

The ceremony concluded with the formal inauguration of the newly constructed field office, followed by a symbolic plantation activity led by the chief guest, reflecting the commitment to environmental stewardship.

About the project:

IUCN Pakistan partnered with the Karot Power Company (Pvt) Limited (KPCL), a subsidiary of the China Three Gorges Corporation, to develop and implement a Biodiversity Management Plan for the 720 MW Karot Hydropower Project area. Located on the Jhelum River near the Karot/Hollar Bridge on the border between Punjab and AJK, the project area covers eight ecologically important nullahs (streams) in the Jhelum River area.

The project aims to address regional biodiversity concerns, to achieve ‘no net loss’ under the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standard 6, and to implement Protection Level 2 to conserve and restore the biological resources of the Jhelum River Basin around the Karot Hydropower Project area. Specific objectives include the establishment of a collaborative watch-and-ward system to control illegal resource extraction (hunting, fishing, logging, sand mining), the development of management plans for the Azad Pattan and Murree Kahuta Kotli Sattian national parks, the development and implementation of a sand mining plan for the Karot Hydropower Project, the rolling out of community and school outreach programmes to create environmental awareness, and the establishment of robust coordination and biodiversity management committees comprising all project stakeholders.

For more information, please contact:

Mr Hammad Saeed
Manager, Communications and Knowledge Management
IUCN Pakistan, Islamabad Country Office
Cell. +92 307 7773801
E-mail: [email protected]