KARACHI, June 19: Mangrove forests have the highest rate of deforestation in the country followed by coniferous forests and riverine forests, according to a recently released paper prepared by a group of conservation activists.

The position paper, Vanishing Riverine Forests of Sindh, by Friends of Indus Forum, highlights the factors responsible for forest degradation in the province besides suggesting a number of short- and long-term measures for their conservation.

Referring to a last year assessment done through satellite images by the ministry of environment, the paper states that forests in the country declined by 19 per cent (from 4.24m hectares in 1992) to 3.44 million hectares in 2001 with a 0.36pc average rate of deforestation.

Laws and rules on the management of forests, it says, are not adequately restrictive in Pakistan, particularly given the country’s low and decreasing forest cover which has resulted in the misuse of forest land and their conversion to non-forestry use.

“The highest rate of deforestation has been found in the Indus delta mangroves which have depleted at a rate of around 2.3 per cent. This is followed by coniferous forests and riverine forests.

“Studies suggest that forest conditions and cover have degraded significantly over the years due to inadequate inundation supplies and other natural factors, such as resource overuse, mismanagement of forest space and other anthropogenic factors,” it says.

According to the paper, forests in Sindh account for 2.29pc of the total land area (14.091 million hectares) of the province. Three types of forests exist in Sindh riverine forests, mangrove forests and rangelands (which occupy 62pc of the total land area in Sindh and comprise a vast stretch of the Thar Desert and hilly tracts of Kohistan in Kheerthar Range).

Riverine forests together with irrigated plantations constitute the productive forests of the province and provide commercial timber and firewood.

Factors responsible for degradation of riverine forests in Sindh, according to the paper, include unavailability of inundation water, changing climatic conditions, poverty, acute lack of public awareness about the importance of forests, over-grazing and over-cutting.

The paper also talks about unsustainable lease polices for forest land which have been in vogue since 1975 and says that the polices instead of improving the tree growth have further degraded the ecosystem and caused loss of productivity.

Suggesting measures for forest conservation, the study suggests that there is a strong need to formulate a dynamic policy for preservation and management of riverine forests, which is the mainstay of forestry in Sindh.

“Various studies have revealed that reduced floods, land greed and mismanagement of areas receiving inundation, coupled with other natural and anthropogenic factors, are the main causes of degradation of riverine ecosystem. The present management strategies and policies need to be modified to expand management responsibilities of forestry personnel to include human ecology and conservation.”

Immediate interventions suggested in the paper include the provision of regular supply of water to maintain a healthy ecological balance, development of a seed bank and a ban on the conversion of forest land for transfer for non-forest use.

Long-term suggested steps include a detailed multi-sectoral survey of the forest area to asses problems affecting a specific area and its residents, development of forest management plans, provision for alternative income resources and microcredit facilities, identification of areas for research to evaluate the effect of human use and habitation on the sustainability of ecosystems and development of a databank on forests in the relevant department.

“Areas under intense environmental and social pressures needing protection should be determined and bilateral and multilateral assistance should be coordinated to strengthen forestry sector planning and management,” it says.