21 February 2004	Saturday	29 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 20: Holding that marine environment and coastal ecosystems are invaluable assets, experts at a conference on Friday stressed on their sustainable exploitation and protection.

The two-day conference on Marine Environment 2004 - Resources, Pollution and Management has been organized jointly by the University of Karachi, British Council and Scottish Association for Marine Science, UK.

A number of scientists on marine environment, NGOs and other stakeholders from within the country and abroad discussed different issues related to the subject and called for more investment in marine science research and teaching in the country.

Speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the conference, being held at the A. Q. Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, University of Karachi, the Vice-chancellor of the University, Dr Pirzada Qasim, observed that Pakistan had abundance of marine resources, but was lacking in their management. He said the shortcoming could be attributed to the absence of expertise in the field.

Underlining importance of subject, the VC said that there was an immense need for addressing pollution problems and to identify measures to resolve them. Despite the fact that environment had been supportive to human beings, a very little could have been done to reciprocate the support, he noted.

Director of the British Council Pakistan, Charlie Walker, highlighted the role of British Council and Department of International Development, UK, in evolving links between universities of UK and Pakistan for higher education, particularly in the field of Science.

He informed the audience that the British Council had signed an agreement with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan for establishing another 15 links during the calender year.

"We also facilitate placement of students wishing to study in the UK and it is heartening to note that the British High Commission's visa section has issued over 6,000 students visas in 2003," he added.

In his key-note address, Dr Rupert Olmond, Director of the University of Marine Biological Station, Mill port, UK, spoke on marine protected areas and sustainable exploitation of coastal resources.

He said that if living components of the marine and coastal ecosystem remained functional, they could generate renewable resources of fish, shellfish, etc. which, if exploited sustainably, could support human populations into the future.

He observed that increasingly rapid development along coastline, marine pollution, oil spill, sewerage deposits, coastal erosion, sedimentation, reclamation, over fishing, trawling, dredging and unplanned tourism had been destroying rich and productive marine ecosystem.

He observed that over fishing, combined with other causes of damage to ecosystem had led to the collapse of fish stocks internationally as well as in Pakistan.

Referring to the marine protected areas, such as Marine National Park, no-fishing zones, no-take zones, etc., he said that these could be highly effective in managing marine environments, fisheries management, preservation of critical habitat for threatened species, and achieving sustainable use of marine resources.

As established in several states in the Indian Ocean regions - like Kenya, Tanzania, Oman and Egypt - management regulations had been introduced to prevent discharge of sewerage and effluent, control in-filling and sedimentation, and protect key populations of fish and shellfish within the marine protected areas, Dr Rupert added, and suggested that similar approach should be adopted in other parts of the world.

During the inaugural session, Dr Shaukat Hayat Khan and Dr Pirzada Jamal Siddiqui of the Centre of Excellence in Marine Biology (CEMB), University of Karachi, discussed objective of the conference and highlighted Higher Education Link between CEMB and the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences.

Dr Siddiqui also shared the information on activities undertaken during a recently concluded four-day coastal zone management course led by Dr Rupert.

During a technical session of the conference, another exchange visitor from UK, Mauvis Gore of the University of Marine Biological Station, Millport, reviewed current knowledge on how resource, pollution and management issues affected the cetacean population around Pakistan.

According to her, to date, little is known of cetacean stocks off Pakistan, but evidence suggests that a humpback whale population is resident in the Arabian Sea.

Referring to a data of illegal whaling in 1960, she mentioned that in less than six months over a three years period, 164 whales had been caught illegally off Pakistan.

Referring to an IUCN Pakistan data, she said that there were three baleen and one toothed whale, three dolphin and a porpoise species as cetacean species of main concern.

She cited that shipping, military and industrial activities, construction and development, pollution and contaminants and fisheries were among key issues faced by cetacean conservation management in the Arabian Sea.

Javed Mustaquim of the CEMB discussed crab fisheries situation in Pakistan. He said that more than 100 species of crabs were found in the coastal waters of Pakistan, but only four species of marine crabs, namely mud crab, blue swimming crab, red spot crab and coral crab, were exploited commercially and, as such, wild stock was depleting with an alarming rate.

Others speaking at the second and third sessions of the conference included Dr Shahid Amjad of the National Institute of Oceanography, Mohammad Moazzam Khan of the Marine Fisheries Department, Pakistan and Dr Iqbal Choudhary of the HEJ Institute of Chemistry. Second session was chaired by Dr Mujtaba Naqvi, Director General of the A. Q. Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering.