Every life has right to exist, seminar told

Pakistan, home to more than 1, 250 species of plants and animals, is rich in biodiversity, said Karachi University Science Faculty Dean Dr Samina Bano adding that deforestation, soil erosion, salinity, and waterlogging have become major threats to biodiversity in the country.

“We have some of the world’s rarest animals and plants but now they are in danger from loss habitat due to overuse of land for farming, grazing and rising urban population,” she said addressing a seminar Biodiversity: Conservation, Issues and Challenges organised by the Botany Department of the varsity.

“All species on the earth depend on each other, so by conserving biodiversity, we can conserve life on earth,” Bano said and reminded that biodiversity provides the basis of life on earth, including human life.

National Institute of Oceanography Director General Dr Samina Kidwai said, “biodiversity contributes to keeping ecological stability, economic wellbeing and has ethical importance.”

Dr Kidwai spoke on the topic of marine biodiversity and ecosystems - importance and management systems. “All life has a right to exist and it is the current generation’s responsibility to leave behind a steady and healthy legacy,” she said. “The earth is more than 4.6 million years old and early life began in the aquatic environment and the earliest evidence of life was reported in the hydrothermal ponds of Yellowstone National Park, in the United States.”

She said that the ecosystems compose of physical-chemical-biological processes active within a space-time unit and human beings are also part of the earth’s ecosystem. There are roughly 250,000 species reported from the marine ecosystems worldwide, with almost 1.7 million taxonomic names.

Dr Kidwai also talked about Pakistan’s coast and shared knowledge regarding its main ecosystems. “The current decade has been designated by the UN as the Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030,” she said and underlined the significance of listing species and mapping them.

While speaking at the seminar, Naghmana Zafar of the World Wildlife Fund said that the cause of conservation of biodiversity can be achieved by adopting the principles of a “blue economy”. While the sea is critical for maintaining a balance of life on the planet earth, the main focus of addressing biodiversity and conservation challenges should be the oceans and seas, Zafar said.

“The ingredients for blue growth are already available in abundance in Pakistan. However, to develop this sector there is a need to enhance the capacity of all stakeholders while also taking along the emerging security needs at national and international levels,” she said.

KU Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialisation Director Professor Dr Bilquees Gul said, “biodiversity is essential for the process that supports all life on earth and without a wide range of animals, plants, and microorganisms because we cannot have the healthy ecosystems.”

Meanwhile, KU Department of Botany Chairperson Professor Dr Rubina Abid said, “Biodiversity simply is the life present on earth in any form. So, the loss of biodiversity means we are losing life.”

Dr Abid said that it is a well-known fact that plants are the lungs of the earth, they are the first component of the life chain and shelter for many other species and eliminating a single plant from a habitat results in the elimination of birds, insects, and animals that are associated with that particular plant. So, to conserve biodiversity, it is important to conserve plants.

She said, “Unfortunately with the increase in urbanization and industrialisation, we are cutting forests at a fast pace, we are even cutting mountains to make societies in the suburbs of Karachi, and disturbing the natural habitat of various species.”

Earlier, the seminar organizer, Dr Sadaf Gul highlighted the challenges faced by people who want to conserve biodiversity.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2023.