ISLAMABAD: Experts at a national webinar on Saturday urged both the federal and provincial governments to check rapid increasing population, unplanned housing projects, unlawful land-change practices and land and timber mafias across their jurisdictions to reduce the fast diminishing biological diversity and green cover.

They stressed that forest cover had also reduced to less than two per cent. Loss of forests and biological diversity has multiplied the impact of climate change in different forms of emergencies and disasters.The webinar on ‘Covid-19, climate change and biodiversity - our all solutions are in nature’ was organised by Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) in connection with International Day of Biological Diversity commemorated on May 22.

The speakers included forestry and biosphere expert and adviser Italian organisation EvK2CNR Ashiq Ahmad Khan, water and climate change expert Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, former director general Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) Asif Shuja Khan, biodiversity and climate change specialist WWF-Pakistan Dr Babar Khan, head of department at Karakoram International University and expert on medicinal plants Dr Sher Wali and natural resource management expert EvK2CNR in Skardu Arif Hussain.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said Pakistan’s conservation efforts included the 10 billion tree tsunami programme, Clean and Green Pakistan and Green Cities Index.

He said the government was planning to establish six national protected parks in various parts of the country for which the ministry will provide Rs2.4 billion.

A new department, National Parks Service for Pakistan, will be created and all six parks will be a launching pad for this service, aimed at employing youth for nature protection. These parks will be established under the ‘Green Stimulus Programme’, launched by the government aimed at nature conservation and provision of jobs.

He said a strong civil society network would enhance the protection of natural resources at the local level. Under the Clean Green Champions, more than 125,000 civil society volunteers have registered themselves with the ministry in addition to a million more youth registered for the Tiger Force. They are the best human resources to engage for the protection of the local environment, biological diversity and nature resources.

Mr Aslam said the federal government would make efforts to declare Gilgit-Baltistan a biosphere for the protection of wildlife, natural habitats and resources.

Ashiq Ahmad Khan said: “Most of the wildlife issues are related to illegal trade and poaching that occur in places where supervisory staff is either lacking or where the community is non-cooperative. Biosphere reserves, being a people-based category ensure better protection for wildlife species.”

Ali Tauqeer Sheikh said loss of biodiversity make us face the pandemics. Pakistan needs to strengthen science with extensive research.

“The post-Covid-19 scenario would be a different one for which we need to prepare ourselves with relevant strategies supported by dynamic research to reduce vulnerabilities of communities living in different parts of the country,” he said.

IUCN country head Mahmood Akhtar Cheema stressed the need to protect and conserve natural resources within the ecosystems to maintain balance of nature. He said strong coordination is required among the provinces and the centre.

Asif Shuja Khan urged transparent and genuine environmental impact assessments (EIAs) by ensuring appointments of technical staff in the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs) and suggested a need to update environment laws.

Dr Babar Khan said Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries facing impacts of climatic change because of its diverse geographical and climatic features. The Indus River is amongst the most affected by the anthropogenic actions impacts amongst world’s largest basin.

Dr Sher Wali said Pakistan is in a dire need to not only regulate the earning industry of medicinal plants but also to generate a national narrative of preservation and propagation of medicinal plants. Majority of the medicinal plants are found in less-developed and far-flung areas of the country like Gilgit-Baltistan and parts of KP and Balochistan.Arif Hussain called for funds for the smooth continuation of conservation activities in the Central Karakorum National Park (CKNP).

Rafiul Haq said the coastline of Pakistan lies in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. It stretches approximately 990km. In Pakistan, the mangrove forests are present at only four geographic locations along the coastline. Some 0.6 million hectares in the Indus delta are classified as “mangrove forests”.

Environmentally and economically these forests are of prime importance as breeding grounds for shrimps, fisheries and different bird’s species. This ecosystem possesses a large variety of animal species and provides safe refuge for them.

Dr Faiz Kakar said while a vast majority of Balochistan’s natural habitats are generally degraded and have lost much of its productivity. Sayed Gul said invasion of traders and other non-local elements have increased illegal and unplanned construction and illegal hunting in the Kalash valleys.

It has disturbed the wildlife found in the valleys. Now you hardly find black bear, Kashmir markhor, musk deer, snow leopard and common leopards and himalayan lynx in the three valleys of Kalash.

Yet poverty and limited options for sustainable sources of livelihood still pose threats to the valleys’ unique biodiversity.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2020