Nature’s benefits are uncountable; in fact, it is humanly impossible to list them all down.

However, it is essential to note that plants, particularly mangroves, play a vital role in balancing our ecosystem.

Mangrove forests safeguard the waterside areas from soil crumbling, stream flooding, rainstorms, and twisters.

Mangroves also play a crucial role in helping form a strong marine life.

For decades, Pakistan has also been deriving countless socio-economic advantages from the thick mangroves that grow all along its coastline, that stretches for around 1,000 kilometers.

However, unfortunately due to continuous chopping of trees, plantation, including mangroves, our environment has been robbed of this national wood treasure.

Since mangroves are breeding grounds for a variety of fish, birds and marine-animals, depletion of these forests is having a severe negative impact on the vast potential of the country’s fishing industry.

Pakistan has an estimated 0.6 million hectares of mangrove ecosystem, which is probably the 10th  largest in the world.

Through surveys and satellite-imaging, the Environment Ministry has learnt that the mangroves in Pakistan are experiencing deforestation at the highest rate (2.3 percent). Hence, irreparable losses are being caused to the nation, especially coastal communities.

If the rapid rate of urbanisation, industrial contamination and deforestation continues to go unchecked, the mangrove forests may largely disappear in the next fifteen to twenty years. 

As the mangroves along the Pakistani seashores are constantly vanishing, a few responsible corporate enterprises are organising plantation drives, and advocating action against this large-scale theft of wood.

One of Pakistan's leading home appliances' companies, Dawlance, has taken the lead in this cause, by launching an exemplary social responsibility initiative. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to actively begin work towards this cause.

Concrete measures have been taken to achieve the annual sustainability objectives set by the brand.

Recently, Dawlance and WWF planted 5000 mangrove saplings along the Sonmiani Beach.

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Participants of the drive said that sustainability is at the heart of every strategy adopted by Dawlance and its global parent company, Arcelik.

Currently, stakeholders are expressing serious concerns over Pakistan's forestation and tree plantation challenges. The country only has five trees per-capita, while the global average is 422 trees, per person.

Compared to normal plantations, mangrove forests have a special capacity to ensure five times more reduction of carbon dioxide from the environment. Pakistan must save this marine ecosystem from deforestation, to enable safe and healthy living in its coastal regions. This will stabilise national growth and promise the well-being of masses.

'Dawnlance for Humanity' is planting mangroves for starters

In line with its vision of a sustainable environment for a cleaner and greener Pakistan, Dawlance, on Monday, June 28, 2021, under its ‘Dawlance for Humanity’ initiative, conducted a major plantation drive, along the coastal belt of Balochistan.

The Company is determined to play its part in reducing the atmospheric toxic carbon dioxide levels, to make sure that the future generations can live in a healthy environment.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Executive Officer of Dawlance, Umar Ahsan Khan stated, “It is a pleasure for us to have signed this resourceful MoU. The mangrove plantation is the first step towards many more earth-friendly initiatives in partnership with WWF-Pakistan. Our country is blessed with abundant natural resources, while our mangroves are a treasure trove of biodiversity. As a responsible and reliable organisation, Dawlance shall continue propagating the idea of perfect balance of nature and technology, and play its role towards achieving the company’s annual sustainability objectives, which are in line with Arçelik’s vision of sustainability. We are also committed to support the government’s focus on increasing forestation in Pakistan."

The mangroves plantation is one of the numerous drives under the Dawlance for Humanity program. This program has now promised to support the brave accomplishment of a 12-year old Pakistani girl, who is making a record-breaking effort to highest point the Broad Peak in Karakoram.

Read more here: https://www.dawlance.com.pk/news-events/

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