Conservation and management of endangered and rare species should be taken up at national level immediately. These species include both indigenous and exotic species, such as:
• Indigenous: Aelagnus hortensis, Celtis eriocarpa, Diospyrus kaki, Ficus palmata, Fraxinus xanthoxyloides, Juniperus macropoda, Morus laevigata, Populus alba, P. ciliata, P. euphratica, P. nigra, Prunus amygdalus, P. padus, Pyrus pashia, Rhododendron spp. and Taxus baccata.
• Exotics: Acacia albida, A. ampliceps, A. victoriae, Bombacopsis quinata, Casuarina equisetifolia, C. obesa, C. montana, an Australian source of E. camaldulensis, E. torelliana, Paulownia tomentosa, Pinus greggii, a few clones of Populus deltoides, Prosopis chilensis and P. pallida
Protected areas in each ecological zone should be established and properly monitored following a listing of target species that need immediate conservation measures.
Establishment of species, provenance and progeny trials and genealogical studies of both local and exotic useful species would not only help to improve productivity and biomass of timber, fodder and fuelwood species but could also be an important component of biodiversity conservation and ex situ conservation of prioritised species. Since species do not recognize or respect political barriers and are widely distributed across several countries, there is a need to initiate network trials of the following important but neglected projects through the establishment of ex situ and in situ conservation stands:
• Ex situ and in situ conservation of rust resistant stands of P. wallichiana var. karakorama in the Himalayas.
• Conservation and management of multipurpose tree food species.
• Exchange of germplasm and establishment of conservation areas of endangered species through network trials.
It is recommended that the forestry sector in Pakistan should identify and recognize important stakeholders for the conservation and development of the nation’s forests. These should be actively involved in policy making, implementation and monitoring. Establishment of a Provincial Forest stakeholders’ forum should be considered to ensure the institutionalisation of continued stakeholder participation in different policy making initiatives including coordination between provinces and between different domains of the federal forest policy. Analogous national forest conservation and coordination council is also suggested.
The tree improvement component should be an integral component in management plan of protected areas. Production of timber and fuelwood should not be the primary objective of the natural forests. They should be managed to maximize the ecological benefits of biodiversity conservation, watershed regulation and mitigation of climatic change. Research projects are needed to assess the relative performance of tree species in order to determine most appropriate treatments to enhance their performance. The management of natural stands of coniferous species should be based on best species combinations in order to achieve the aforementioned objectives.
