KARACHI, July 20: Karachi University scientists Dr Surayya Khatoon and Qadeer Mohammad Ali, led a team of environmentalists to the site of Keenjhar mangrove ecosystem, a press release said on Sunday.

The team comprised representatives from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Sindh Forest Department.

The team declared the presence of Avicennia in this habitat as an unusual occurrence, not so far reported from anywhere else in the world.

The KU scientists pointed out the difference between the Avicennia trees at the Keenjhar Lake as compared to those at the inter-tidal swamps of the Indus Delta, like greater height, smooth and straight stems, and slightly different flowering period.

They also highlighted the fact that the flora and fauna found at Keenjhar mangrove were different as compared to those associated with mangroves found at coastal swamps.—PPI