KARACHI:
In wetlands, water is essential to controlling the physical and biological environment. Both freshwater and marine and coastal ecosystems are included in these lands. Although the wetlands cover only about 6% of the earth’s land surface, 40% of life exists in wetlands. These lands can be natural or man-made. The natural wetlands encompass lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas, tidal flats, mangroves, coral reefs, etc. The man-made wetlands include sites such as fishponds, reservoirs, etc.
The wetlands are significant due to their role in clean water supply, ecosystem resilience, sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, storm protection, and carbon storage. Moreover, these lands play a crucial part in a country’s economy through tourism and recreation. The wetlands are degrading at a very high rate due to the growing population, rising urbanisation, non-serious attitude towards sustainability, and adverse impacts of climate change.
Four major wetlands complexes, namely North-Western Alpine Wetlands Complex (NAWC), Salt Range Wetlands Complex (SRWC), Central Indus Wetlands Complex (CIWC), and Makran Coastal Wetlands Complex (MCWC), have been identified in Pakistan. These encompass more than 200 sites, including floodplain wetlands of major river systems and their extensive network of tributaries covering an area of about 10 % of the total area of Pakistan. Despite the difficult prevailing economic conditions, we all shall strive to prioritise environmental issues. The conservation of natural resources is indeed a guarantee of a country’s prosperity.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2023.
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