Wetlands under threat as species face extinction
This handout photograph released on November 27, 2023, shows a flock of greater flamingo (phoenicopterus roseus) at the Clifton beach in Karachi. Tucked away in an unchecked urban sprawl, flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans laze in the shallow wetlands’ azure waters near the Pakistani coast. Photo : AN
Pakistan's wetlands are facing severe degradation due to water stress, untreated industrial waste, land reclamation and agricultural runoff, shrinking their ecological value and threatening biodiversity, warned WWF-Pakistan in a statement issued on World Wetlands Day 2025.
The organisation warned that species such as the Indus River dolphin, freshwater turtles and migratory birds were at grave risk due to the continuous destruction of wetland ecosystems.
Calling for immediate conservation and restoration efforts, WWF-Pakistan stressed that wetlands served as lifelines for biodiversity, local communities and sustainable development.
Pakistan is home to more than 240 significant wetlands, covering an estimated 10% of the country's land area. These wetlands offer livelihood support to local communities and provide essential ecosystem services, including water filtration, carbon storage, flood control and habitat for countless species, including migratory birds and commercially important fish.
However, these fragile ecosystems are under severe threat due to water scarcity, pollution, encroachment, unregulated development, climate change and unsustainable resource extraction, the statement warned.
Muhammad Jamshed Iqbal Chaudhry, senior manager of research and conservation at WWF-Pakistan, remarked that wetlands are a lifeline for millions of Pakistanis, especially communities relying on fisheries, agriculture, and tourism.
The Ramsar-listed wetlands in Pakistan, such as Keenjhar Lake, Haleji Lake, Chashma Barrage, and Jiwani Coastal Wetlands, are critical breeding and feeding grounds for migratory birds, including white-headed ducks, flamingos, cranes and the critically endangered Siberian crane.
Wetlands also serve as nature's buffer against climate change, absorbing excess floodwaters and reducing the impact of extreme weather events. "Conserving wetlands is, therefore, not just an environmental imperative but a social and economic necessity," he urged.
WWF-Pakistan is actively working to conserve and restore wetlands through various initiatives, including the implementation of community-based conservation projects in the Indus Delta, Punjab's wetlands, and Balochistan's coastal ecosystems. The initiatives, including the Water Resource Accountability in Pakistan (WRAP) and Recharge Pakistan (RP), demonstrate the use of nature-based solutions (NbS) to address the challenges to wetlands.