Country:
Pakistan
Organization:
Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Certificate:
Tropical Forest Landscapes
Three Cairns Fellows
Pervez Manan
Pervez Manan, a forester and climate financing expert in Pakistan, believes that sustainable and equitable forest management requires a broad set of technical and political skills — and an ability to listen to diverse stakeholders. The Tropical Forest Landscapes certificate program is helping him build that skill set and engage with like-minded practitioners from around the world. He hopes to adapt the best practices he’s learning to help increase the resilience of Pakistan’s forests.
The challenges facing the climate and forestry sector in the mountainous corner of northwest Pakistan — from deforestation, land degradation, and climate change to limited enforcement, land ownership conflicts, and weak governance — are daunting. For the past two years, Pervez Manan has been working to promote sustainable forestry there as the deputy secretary and divisional forest officer for the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Climate Change, Forestry, Environment, and Wildlife Department.
“These challenges inspire my current work,” Manan said. “I focus on promoting sustainable forest management, balancing the needs of diverse stakeholders, and advocating for stronger environmental policies to address both deforestation and climate resilience.”
In his current role, Manan writes proposals for climate financing projects, utilizing his years of experience with public-private partnerships, forest restoration, and carbon accounting. He also has coordinated projects for the Voluntary Carbon Market, established a provincial Climate Finance Unit, and represented his government at the U.N. Conference of Parties (COP 28) in the United Arab Emirates in 2023. He earned a master’s degree in environmental science from the International Islamic University Islamabad and a master’s degree in forestry from the University of Peshawar.
Manan enrolled in the Tropical Forest Landscapes certificate program to build on his knowledge of global best practices for forest conservation and climate change mitigation. It is providing him with technical skills in landscape restoration, nature-based solutions, and stakeholder engagement while also giving him a more global perspective that he said will inform his work at home.
“This program offers me a unique opportunity to learn how to integrate community engagement and governance strategies more effectively into forestry projects — a key area that is often overlooked in local conservation efforts,” Manan said.
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