Landscape co-management and livelihood sustainability: Lessons learned from the billion trees afforestation project in Pakistan

In Pakistan, forests and agriculture are important sources of food and income for rural communities. Therefore, to restore the landscape and improve livelihoods, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) implemented the Billion Trees Afforestation Project (BTAP) in 2014, which lasted for six years until 2020. In this study, we examined the activities undertaken by the forest department at the Dir Kohistan Forest division to promote community-level participation in landscape co-management. This study also analysed the factors that affected participation in landscape co-management and the impacts of co-management participation on livelihood capital using a mixed-methods approach. The study revealed that the forest department established various community-based organizations, which increased participation in landscape co-management and improved the livelihoods of the participating farming communities. Various factors, such as elite dominance, unavailability of required land for afforestation, illiteracy, high dependency on the forest, low confidence among community members, negative attitudes towards landscape co-management activities, and membership in a pastoralist community negatively contribute to participation in landscape co-management. Participation in co-management generated employment and resulted in improved crop farming, livestock rearing, timber harvesting, and firewood collection. Our findings highlight the importance of the factors that hinder effective community-based participation in co-management and livelihood improvement for many communities. •BTAP promoted landscape co-management through community participation.•Land availability negatively affected participation in landscape co-management.•Community benefited from landscape co-management through livelihood sustainability.•Landscape co-management participation requires an understanding of local needs.