Mangroves Forests in Pakistan

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Mangroves Forests in Pakistan
Mohummad Tahir Qureshi Coastal Ecosystem
Expert IUCN - Pakistan
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• Largest arid climate mangroves in the World
• Maritime Zone is one of the most productive
  areas in the world
• 80 percent of the Worlds oil tankers pass
  through Pakistan water
• Government of Pakistan earns 8.8 billion rupees
  on exports, on an average annually

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Coastal Marine Resource Potential

• 90 million tons is the world wide catches of
  marine fishes per
• annum and 0.665 million tons is the catch in
  Pakistan
• About 450 sp of fish are recorded from Arabian
  sea and
• Pakistan has over 100 sp
• 25 sp of fish are of commercial importance

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Coastal Marine Resource Potential

• Over 150,000 people use about 36,000 tons of
  mangrove fire wood per month along Pakistan
  coast.
• About 16,000 camels, 4,000-6,000 cows and water
  buffaloes and 2,500 3,000 cattle graze in
  mangroves.

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Distribution of Mangrove Forests along the Coast
of Pakistan

• Mangrove Categories Year Area in Hectares
• Dense, normal and sparse
• mangroves vegetation 1932 604,870
• Dense, normal and sparse
• vegetation 1986 440,000
• Dense, normal and sparse
• vegetation 1992 160,000
• Dense, normal and sparse
• vegetation 2005 86,000 (approx.)
• Source coastal environmental management plan
  for Pakistan, UNESCAP, GOP, 1996
• Mangroves of Pakistan Status Management,
  IUCN Pakistan, 2005

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Causes of Changes in Mangrove Habitat
Scarcity of Fresh Water
Average Annual Seasonal Discharge Volumes
Downstream of Kotri Barrage
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Causes of Changes in Mangrove Habitat
Waste disposal and pollution
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Causes of Changes in Mangrove Habitat
Marine Pollution Municipal Waste 104 million
gallons/day Industrial Waste 175 million
gallons/day (Tanneries Power Plants, Steel Mills,
Harbours, Ports etc ) Oil Pollution 1.5
million tons/year International Conventions
relating to Sea MARPOL 73-78 Prevention of Marine
Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other Matters
Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and
Cooperation Control of Transboundary movement
and hazardous waste and their disposal. Laws
Relating to Pakistan Pakistan Penal Code
1861 Port Act 1905 Factories Act 1934 Regulating
Bodies / Agencies Maritime Security Agency (MSA),
Sindh and Balochistan (Environmental Protection
Agencies), Port Authorities, Fish Harbour
Authorities Source Karachi Development
Authority (2000)
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Causes of Changes in Mangrove Habitat

• Improper management and over exploitation

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Ecological implications of Destruction/Depletion
of Mangrove Resources
Change in composition of vegetation
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Ecological implications of the Destruction of
Mangroves
Sea Intrusion
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Mangrove Rehabilitation in Pakistan
Replanting 1987-2008 30,000 hectares
Plantation
Organizations involved IUCN-Pakistan, Gwader
Development Authority (GDA), Port Qasim
Authority, Balochistan Sindh Forests and
Wildlife Deptt, Balochistan Coastal Development
Authority, District Govt. Communities
Nursery
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Re-introduction of 2 mangroves species to
increase biodiversity along Balochistan Coast

• To develop effective methods of rehabilitating
  degraded mangroves forests, using both artificial
  and assisted natural regeneration.

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Mangroves protective plantation against natural
disaster (cyclone, Tsunami) and sand dunes
shiftingNew nursery grounds for shrimp and
fishes
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Awareness Raising Capacity Building

• to raise awareness among the coastal communities,
  in order to promote sustainable use of mangrove
  forest
• to build the capacity of the Sindh and
  Balochistan forest departments.
• to provide technical back stropping to the
  agencies responsible for the conservation of
  mangrove forests.

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Apiculture Ecotourism
Alternate source of Income for Coastal Community
- Ecotourism
Mangrove Walkway
-Apiculture
Honeybee keeping in Mangrove
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Suggestions and Recommendations

• Minimum environmental flows should be released
• down the Kotri barrage for ecosystem and
  livelihood
• of local population.
• The pollution should be treated at source before
  
• discharging into the sea.
• Deep sea fishing policy should be developed in
• consultation with coastal community.
• Government should sanction long term mangrove
• forests and fisheries rehabilitation project
  along the
• coast of Pakistan.
• Coastal communities should be involved in
  coastal resource
• management at all levels.
• Communities should be provided alternatives for
  reducing
• their dependence on mangrove ecosystems.

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