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TROPHY HUNTING IN TORGHAR (Story contributed by Nadeem Bukhari)

In 1982, filmmaker Sardar Naseer A. Tareen visited the area of Torghar to record shots of wildlife in the area for a movie commissioned by the government of Balochistan. He was mostly interested in the Afghan Urial and the Suleiman Markhor. Roaming around in the mountains along with local hunters and tribesmen, the crew could not see a single Markhor in the area for many days, although, a few years before, the area was famous for its richness and habitat of these animals.

Mr. Tareen determined that wildlife was viewed as a common property and nobody was willing to own the responsibility of its protection. On the other hand, everybody wanted to exploit it for their benefit. During consultations with the community, he realized that the people of the area would not take the responsibility of protecting these animals unless it was linked to their livelihoods. Because hunting is a pastime to the locals and these animals do not provide any income to them, Sardar Naseer Tareen decided that he would invite the people of the area make this common property a joint responsibility as well. This was not going to be possible unless community members developed a sense of ownership of this resource.

Sardar Tareen, himself a Jalalzai Pashtun, took upon himself the task of organizing and convincing the local community that hunting need to be controlled. He initiated a dialogue with the community elders and was able to convince them that only they could protect the game animals. Through dialogue with the council of elders, he was able to persuade them that they should devise rules and regulations to control hunting in the Torghar hills. The agreed rules were that no one, without exception, would be allowed to hunt these animals without paying a fee for trophy hunting; it would be the responsibility of the whole community to protect these animals and their habitat.

Improving further on the concept, Mr. Tareen then decided to link the conservation of the animals with the livelihoods of the local people, and brought a daring innovation from the traditional concept of wildlife protection. Trophy hunting could actually bring income to the locals, he thought. If backed by scientific data, this would allow for sustainable use of the animal resource

Mr. Tareen requested the US Fish and Wildlife Service for technical assistance, and they sent two American scientists to Quetta to discuss opportunities for initiating wildlife conservation activities in Balochistan with Tareen and provincial officials. These discussions led to the development of a plan to initiate a "game guard" programme at Torghar. It was determined that the programme would be funded through the proceeds generated by a limited, controlled trophy hunt of Afghan Urial.

Under the plan, the Torghar Hills were closed for traditional hunting, and game guards were hired from the local population to enforce the ban by protecting access to the area and reporting all trespassers. They were also tasked to conduct precise surveys of large ungulates. When animal populations recovered sufficiently, a limited number of permits were obtained from wildlife authorities for the hunting of Afghan Urial and sold to hunters - primarily foreigners. Controlled hunting of trophy animals was a critical component of the plan for two basic reasons. First, it generated the revenue necessary to support the game guard program. Secondly, it impressed upon the local tribesmen that their economic well being was directly tied to the abundance of Markhor and Urial.

The wildlife surveys carried out by the game guards have also helped them in advocating their case for the issuance of trophy hunting licenses, despite the fact that one of the species was listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The surveys helped the community to get a relaxation from CITES, as well for allowing export of trophies hunted in Torghar.

This first initiative of involving local people in decision-making has now initiated a sustained process of development. The community has prioritized its needs and has identified income generation and development of infrastructure to enhance agricultural productivity as their priority requirement. Therefore, they sought funding to develop their water resources, which is now permitting them to better protect this indispensable element of their daily life.