UNDERLINING the need to conserve mangroves, experts at a recent conference in Karachi highlighted the fact that Pakistan is amongst the 14 countries in the world most vulnerable to natural disasters. The coastal plants are important as they form a natural barrier against strong waves and tsunamis. However, mirroring the negative trend in other parts of the world, human activity in this country has been principally responsible for the devastation of this vital ecological resource. One expert at the conference said Pakistan had the highest rate of deforestation in the world; in the 1960s mangrove cover in the country was said to have been over 604,000 hectares. By 2010 this had been reduced to some 104,000 hectares.

Though there has been greater awareness over the last few years about the importance of conservation and efforts have been made to counter deforestation by planting saplings, management and follow-up need to be improved. For example, the Sindh Assembly was recently told that over 35 per cent of the saplings planted in the Keti Bundar area in 2009 in pursuit of a world record have perished. Apart from their obvious role as nature’s defenders of the coastline, mangroves have immense ecological and economic value. They serve as nurseries for fish and shrimp and rookeries for birds, as well as support various species of wildlife. They are potential sites on the eco-tourism trail, if managed in a sustainable manner. Yet all this may be under threat due to the rapacious onslaught of ‘development’. Though concern for the environment appears low on the priority list of both the state and the public, this must change. Action is needed to preserve Pakistan’s ecosystems, specifically its mangroves. The destruction of mangrove cover for short-term gains cannot be allowed to continue at the cost of the nation’s biodiversity.