It may not be the first country you think in which deforestation is a real problem, but with the highest rate of forest depletion in all of Asia, Pakistan faces an immediate need for action if serious repercussions are to be avoided.

The latest findings of the WWF reveal that Pakistan’s already meagre forest cover is being depleted by 2.1 per cent, the highest annual deforestation rate in Asia. Much of this reduction can be attributed to the official policy of changing the status of forest lands and allowing their use for other purposes. According to the WWF, more than 150,000 acres of forest have been lost in this way since the country’s inception in 1947.

Pakistan’s once lush mangrove stands, which serve as natural hatcheries and offer protection against tidal surges, have taken the biggest hit with an annual depletion rate of nearly 2.3 per cent. Estimates vary but it is believed that the mangrove cover along the coast has fallen from nearly 1.5 million acres in 1966 to just about 420,000 acres today.

In a country where the disparity between the rich and poor is amongst the most extreme in the world, the apathetic attitude of Pakistani authorities towards deforestation demonstrates another area in which the rich few get richer while the poor majority get poorer.

Many people have lived for centuries in harmony with their environment, collecting fallen branches for fuel, grazing livestock and as well as many other sustainable industries based around protecting local flora and fauna.

But unfortunately as more countries impose stricter laws governing logging activity, those that have a more laissez faire attitude find their continued activity all the more lucrative. The effect of this is an acceleration of both legal and illegal logging despite Pakistan already feeling some serious effects.

Livelihoods are being lost as great swathes of forest are cleared, and the animals who once inhabited those areas are either killed during the extraction process or suffer a more drawn-out fate as their habitat is gradually depleted.

While deforestation’s link to climate change, and the possible effects that might have are debatable, there is already clear evidence that deforestation is causing significant changes to Pakistan’s land, with just as worryingly apocalyptic results. Already Pakistan has experienced an increase in deadly landslides, flash floods and the silting of major dams.

The unfortunate and uncomfortable truth is that most conservation organisations always have their resources stretched thin. This means battles must be picked in order for any real change to be brought about. Because of this too often the focus of public attention becomes blinkered, with places such as the Amazon receiving deserved, but sometimes all-too-emcompassing scrutiny.

If more details emerges from Pakistan along similar lines as this, it could soon become another key battleground if the fight to save the world’s biodiversity is ever going to be won.

If you are tired of hearing stories like this from around the world, then you can do something about it. One way you can help is by joining the WWF. You’re support will ensure that they are able to continue their great work around the world.