KARACHI, Feb 28: After four days of deliberations, a conference of plant scientists recommended establishment of a botanical survey institution on the pattern of the Geological Survey of Pakistan.

The scientists also called for the introduction of bio-technology department at all the universities for which, they suggested, the government should provide necessary infrastructure.

The recommendations were finalized at the technically concluding session of the 8th National Conference of Plant Scientists held here on Thursday under the aegis of Pakistan Botanical Society (PBS). The session was chaired by Dr Mustafa Shameel, President of the PBS.

The scientists suggested that biodiversity of the country should be preserved at all costs and observed that many of the plants in the country were on the brink of extinction. They also called for a botanical garden for every province.

Describing the dwindling rate of forests as alarming, the conference recommended that alternative sources be explored to cope with the situation in order to achieve a rapid harvesting rate.

With regard to deforestation, it suggested that local trees be planted and the forest areas extended by up to 10 per cent over the next decade.

Citing the heavy losses caused to the agricultural lands by water-logging and salinity, the scientists recommended that the halophytic vegetation of the areas should be preserved and rehabilitated. The local halophytes, they noted, were of great value as many of them could be used for fodder whereas some others could provide food for human consumption.

The establishment of harbaria at local and national levels was also underlined with recommendation that data banks on local plant populations be established in the vicinity. “Although some attempts have been made for the preservation of certain animal species in the recent past, no efforts have ever been made for the preservation of rare plant species,” they noted.

Mentioning the damage by the plant diseases during the growth and post-harvest period, they demanded that attention be paid particularly to the diagnostic services for farmers so that remedial measures could be taken and crops protected.

The scientists resolved that the government should provide facilities for the storage of agricultural and horticultural products before their local consumption or export so as to minimize post-harvest losses.

They stressed on minimizing use of chemicals like pesticides, fungicides and nematocides and suggested creation and introduction of cultural methods as well as biological-control techniques to replace the chemicals that were hazardous, not only to the environment but also to the human being.

The conference also recommended exploitation of marine resources to cope with the scarcity of food amid a rapid population growth and shrinking land resources.

It stressed that the cultivation and harvesting of beneficial marine resources, like seaweeds, mangroves and halophytes, along the coastal areas be encouraged. These

resources, they pointed out, were rich in proteins, carbohydrates and oils and could provide fodder for cattle and feed for poultry.

At the same time, they added, these resources would be primary producers of marine ecosystem and give a boost to the healthy growth of crabs, mussels, shrimps, lobsters and fin-fisheries.

The conference was jointly organized by the PBS and the Department of Botany, University of Karachi.