Photo story from Waqar Ul Hassan Tareen on landscape restoration

In the Koh-e-Suleiman range, during my first round of data collection in January 2024, I stood face to face with two starkly different realities—both unfolding on the same day, in the same season, within the same landscape. In one place, a once-full reservoir lay cracked and lifeless, its silence heavy with the story of irregular rain patterns and a warming climate. Just beyond the hills, sunlight gleamed off solar panels, powering a pump that brought fresh water to grazing herds and the pastoralists who depend on them. Same land, same season—one scene spoke of loss, the other of hope. For pastorals, I realised, innovation is no longer a choice—it is the fragile bridge between survival and surrender, and the path to sustaining landscapes for generations to come.