Vanishing resources: Experts gather to discuss loss of forest land

Participants say main factor in degradation of forests was lack of availability of irrigation water in riverine system

KARACHI:

Over 541 cases relating to the forests department are still pending, lamented the department’s conservator, Riaz Wagan.

He was speaking at the sidelines of the launch of a position paper, The Vanishing Riverine Forests of Sindh, on Thursday.

The event was organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) and the Friends of Indus Forum.

Wagan said that the people, who used to protect the forests, were now involved in the commercial tree-cutting business to make a living.

Participants at the event commented that the main factor behind the degradation of forests was the lack of availability of irrigation water in the riverine system.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2012.