KARACHI: Areas for conservation of nature identified - Workshop on Indus delta eco-region
KARACHI, July 13: Environment experts on second day of the workshop on "Indus delta ecoregion: biodiversity, visioning and conservation planning" identified the areas having global significance for conservation of nature.
Addressing the five-day workshop, organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the experts identified three areas - Indus dolphin reserve from Guddu Barrage to Sukkur Barrage; Nara Canal Complex; and Sindh coastal belt - having global significance for the conservation and upgradation of nature.
They said that these areas had high representation of endemic taxa, high richness for multiple taxa, unique phenomena and rare and intact habitats. The experts also identified four areas of ecological importance - Haleji Lakes i.e. Hadero, Haleji and Keenjhar; the lakes spread over Badin to Thatta; Manchhar Lake in Dadu and the fourth area covers Hamal, Drig and Lung lakes in Larkana district.
They said that these areas had a moderate degree of endemism, moderate richness in taxa, rare habitats and moderately important for the maintenance of ecological processes.
Some of these areas were also sub-regionally outstanding and had low degree of endemism and low richness and support few species of special concern or other targets. Giving details of the identified areas, they said that blind dolphin was found in large numbers in Indus section from Guddu to Sukkur barrages.
The Nara Canal Complex comprises desert wetlands having many species of birds and crocodiles whereas the Sindh coast from Sandspit to Sir Creek is rich with a wide range of birds, turtles and mangroves, they added.
The participants of the workshop prioritized the areas and identified the threats posed to these nature reserves. According to them, the key threats are localized pressures i.e. forest conversion and over-fishing, upstream pressures - water diversion and glacial melt.
Besides, they said that possible international pressures were trade in endangered species, international fishing agreements and market forces from Europe.
Discussing the root causes of environmental degradation, the participants of the workshop stamped the over-harvesting of mangroves and over exploitation of fish resources as the two basic factors.
Besides, they said that the degradation could be attributed to over population, scarcity of fresh water, deterioration of water quality, distribution and management of water resources.
The Deputy Director World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF- Pakistan), Dr Ejaz Ahmed, called for lobbying the government to follow existing laws on natural resources and recommended self- regulation by local communities and communal management of natural resources with economic incentives like livelihood opportunities.
As short-term steps to address socio-economic issues, he stressed on lobbying the international financial institutions to follow macroeconomic instruments such as green net national product, and development of policies for value addition of such sustainable fish catch.
"We should calculate true economic prices of natural resources and develop strategies after carrying out studies on linkage between environment and poverty as well as on related subjects," he asserted.
He also underlined the need to create awareness of integrated water resources-water for nature, sustainable water management among ministries, politicians, policy-makers, local communities and fisherfolk.
As the mid-term steps to address the issue, Dr Ejaz Ahmed emphasised to establish tenure and access rights to natural resources, besides passing on the true economic prices to the users.
He said the major socio-economic problem was the low-key approach to existing laws on fishing and forests while giving extraordinary concessions to foreign fishing trawlers.
The natural resource use being considered as free goods; the defined property rights and exploitation of resources without cost and replenishment or substitute were some other issues needed to be resolved soon, he said.
Besides, he continued, no wealth accounting of natural resource base at different levels; and insufficient knowledge of linkage between poverty and environment were other major socio-economic issues.
On third day of the workshop, the experts would articulate a vision statement touching key and unique characteristics of the IDER about motivation of people both inside and outside the eco-region. Finally, the participants of the workshop would set conservation targets. -APP/PPI
