The intermediate and not so-low-lying areas which are flooded annually or even once in three years need to be focused for rehabilitation and improvement. The forest departments will need to identify and delineate such areas, develop rehabilitation and improvement plans, strengthen their capacities and resources as well as swiftly undertake regeneration operations during the short flooding period. Weeding, cleaning and thinning operations are also important for getting good crops and high production of desirable species and of NTFP. New techniques of water conservation will have to be explored and used in certain areas for making the best use of the moisture becoming available through floods or lift irrigation.

Irrigation could help in planting some forest areas and in making these forests productive. Nevertheless, many areas are too high to be irrigated and tube-well / lift irrigation is very expensive.

Involvement of local communities and other stakeholders in the management of riverine forests through Collaborative Forest Management (CFM) is most likely to reduce excessive exploitation of resources and in sustainable management of these forests. Agro-forestry if practised with   diligence and caution can help to achieve the objectives of rehabilitation and improvement and still not loosing of the control of the land.

One option is to raise fodder crop in the area to be leased for agro-forestry rather than cereal or other commercial crops. This would reduce the risk of losing land control. Besides, fodder cultivation requires less technical knowledge and management responsibility than the growing of other agricultural crops. This will also reduce grazing pressure on belas.

Intercropping is one of the methods practised in both Punjab and Sindh to help to grow trees in riverine forests. It helps to keep down weeds and to put to use the areas that are lying blank. However, Intercropping practised by the private sector,  may create problems, such as the risk of loosing land control through political influence.

Nevertheless, the private sector may be useful in contributing to the management of forage deficiency for livestock now dependent on these riverine forests. The livestock grazers could improve their livestock, through feed, disease control programmes and breeding. Such   associations could prevent the forests  from overgrazing and fire hazards.

Eco-system based and integrated management approach would be essential to get maximum benefits from these forest.