Let’s show compassion and take timely steps to preserve our wildlife for a balanced and poison-free planet
ISLAMABAD: While attending a two-day consultative workshop to develop an action plan to combat illegal wildlife trade in Pakistan, under the auspices of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and USAID, I learnt that there has been an alarming decline in the numbers of some wild species and extinction of others in the country. Possessing a degree in chemical and environmental engineering, like many others, I know that the climate of our planet is dependent on the vital ecosystems that comprise it. The Earth’s forests perform the vital task of photosynthesis, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as plants make food. If the forests are cleared without being replaced, our atmosphere will change, as we are already experiencing in Pakistan today, especially in the federal capital and in Sindh.
Our planet’s ecology is severely stressed. The consequences are that we have fewer plants, fewer productive farms and, therefore, less food for animals and humans alike. Understanding and maintaining natural communities is the key to sustaining life on Earth. No species are unimportant. They are all part of our ecosystem. Let’s show some compassion and take timely and pragmatic steps to preserve our wildlife for a balanced and poison-free planet before we create a self-made disaster situation and suffer even more in terms of environmental hazards.
Hashim Abro
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2016.
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