One thousand saplings of Avicennia marina, a species of mangrove tree, were planted in Thatta’s Shah Bunder for conservation and rehabilitation of the coastal ecosystem of the Indus Delta.
The activity was organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and local communities as a part of the World Wetlands Day 2012 observed worldwide a day earlier.
IUCN’s Ghulam Qadir Shah said the event aimed at raising awareness among communities regarding the significance of wetlands as well as mangroves and their role in preservation of wetlands.
Shah briefed the participants of the activity about the history of the Ramsar Convention and the role of wetlands in the economy of the country, whereas IUCN’s Saadullah Ayaz highlighted the role of communities in the conservation of wetlands.
National Rural Support Programme’s Farman Jamali appreciated IUCN’s efforts for their role in capacity-building, conservation and rehabilitation of the coastal ecosystem of Shah Bunder.
A race between three age groups of youth was also organised on this occasion, and shields were distributed among the winners of the competition.
A large number of members from Shah Bunder’s communities participated in this programme.
The World Wetlands Day is globally celebrated on February 2 every year. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971 on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the Iranian city of Ramsar.
The intergovernmental treaty provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Every year, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, conservation organisations and communities celebrate this day to raise public awareness about wetlands.
The theme for World Wetlands Day 2012 is ‘Wetlands and Tourism’. Wetlands and their wildlife are an important part of global tourism.
According to estimates, the number of international tourists reached 940 million in 2010, and it is forecasted to grow to 1.6 billion by 2020.
Travel and tourism generates around 5 percent of the gross domestic product of the global economic activity and an estimated 6 percent to 7 percent of the world’s jobs.
Half the international tourists travel to wetlands of all types, but particularly to coastal areas. Natural beauty and biodiversity of the wetlands make them ideal locations for tourism.
The income generated through wetlands ecotourism could be significant and support the livelihoods of the wetlands communities.
Wetlands provide other services as well, such as water, food, water purification, erosion control, etc.
Pakistan is one of the rare countries that have been blessed with a variety of wetland ecosystems.
Pakistan’s wetlands are locally and globally important for the biodiversity of the ecosystems, habitats and species from the high alpine lakes to small streams, major rivers, lowland lakes, reservoirs, coastal wetlands such as mangroves, estuaries and beaches.
There are 19 Ramsar sites in Pakistan. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance, designated under the Ramsar Convention.
The Indus Delta is also an important coastal wetland of Pakistan and home to the largest arid mangrove forests in the world.
It was designated as a Ramsar site on November 5, 2002, it provides temporary residing grounds to migratory birds, and is rich in freshwater, marine fauna and endangered species.
The mangrove forest is one of the most abundant ecological communities of the delta, but it has declined over the years.
Sprawling an area of 600,000 hectares along Sindh’s coastline, it was believed to be the seventh largest mangrove forest in the world.
This forest used to harbour eight species of mangroves, of which only four exist. They are the Aegiceras corniculatum, Avicennia marina, Ceriops tagal and Rhizophora mucronata.
The fan-shaped Indus Delta is the fifth largest delta in the world. Freshwater reduction, deforestation, pollution and overfishing are some of the major threats facing the survival of the Indus Delta.
