Mangrove depletion

While the president of the world’s most powerful country actively denies climate change, more wisdom prevails over a local, uneducated fisherman in Pakistan, who recognises that depleting mangroves along the coastline correlate with catastrophic weather events such as tsunamis and cyclones. It is a tragic fact that along with this type of natural habitat, marine life is being disturbed, which will result in heavy impact on ecological systems of the Indus River and Arabian Sea. The diminishing populations of various fish and crustaceans is proof. Whether one is for or against the capturing of crustaceans and fish from mangroves, it must scientifically be acknowledged that there is a vicious cycle that follows, impacting livelihoods, marine life, and the larger ecological system.

Mangroves should be reviewed to determine the magnitude of threat after being acquired by the Sindh Forest Department. Until a centralised body with executive power steps in to rescue mangroves, the depletion will continue. Private housing schemes with purely financial profiteering interests continue to exert control and kill the ecology of the Indus River system. Reforestation is against the interest of housing developers and thus, the situation is rendered helpless unless control is taken or stipulations for mangrove preservation are enforced against them. Organisations working for the protection of mangroves such as Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum must be supported. Others such as the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency and Sindh Forestation Department require enhanced oversight to ensure fair practices are followed and there are honest intentions to protect mangrove forestation.

It is time for individuals and organisations to abandon selfish mindsets. Once the mentality of working for the betterment of the country and its people becomes the driving factor, only then will Pakistan’s flora and fauna flourish.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2018.

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