KARACHI, July 24: Vice-Chancellor of Karachi University Prof. Dr. Zafar Saeed Saifi has urged the Sindh government to take appropriate measures for protecting the Avicennia marina at the Keenjhar.

A Karachi University official said the scientists of Karachi University have discovered the rare woods of mangroves at the site of Keenjhar lake.

He said it was the only forest of its kind all over the world which succeeded in maintaining its survival even in the sweet-water.

The university official said the scientists of the forest department, World Wildlife Fund and IUCN have expressed their interest in this discovery.

He stated that the Vice-Chancellor of Karachi University, Prof. Dr. Zafar Saeed Saifi, visited the site on Wednesday.

He was accompanied by a team of Karachi University scientists, and officials.

The Vice-Chancellor said that the Sindh government had been requested to undertake necessary steps for the protection of these rare mangroves.

He said that the local inhabitants owing to lack of knowledge were cutting these tall and dense trees for using them as fuel.

Prof. Saifi said the protection of these trees would also contribute towards promotion and spread of wildlife and seafood and thus help meet the economic needs of the people of the area.

Karachi University’s scientists Prof. Dr. Surriya Khatoon and Qadeer Mohammad Ali said they had been monitoring the area for the past two years.—APP