Environmental Criminality and Institutional Weaknesses: A Qualitative Assessment of Forest Governance in Malakand Division, Pakistan

Abstract

Environmental criminality has become an important problem in sustainable forest governance in developing countries. Environmental crimes like illegal logging, timber smuggling, encroachment, corruption, and lack of proper enforcement continue to pose threats to forest resources and biodiversity in Pakistan, especially in the Malakand Division. Environmental laws and regulatory frameworks are in place, but institutional and institutional arrangements are weak. The current study aims to examine environmental crime and institutional deficiencies in the forest governance of Malakand Division. The study is based on qualitative data from 48 interviews with Forest Department officials, local community members, and 05 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) (collected during a PhD research survey) to understand governance failures and environmental crimes and reduce forest conservation. The results show that weak monitoring systems, inadequate staffing, political intervention, corruption, lack of coordination among various agencies, and lack of community involvement in the monitoring process account for high levels of environmental criminality, as per the New Institutionalism Theory. The study suggests that institutional capacity needs to be strengthened, accountability systems need to be improved, the community needs to be involved, and forest management needs to be supported by technological tools.