Mangroves moving towards extinction

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, while talking about the mangrove destruction, recently stated that the entire area of Machhar colony has been encroached upon for three decades. Keeping in mind this statement, one might question the whereabouts of the mangrove forest located in Machhar Colony. Another mangrove forest which is along the Mauripur Road might also vanish with time since conditions are worsening along the coastline.
Global warming in Pakistan has been on the rise for decades illustrated by the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas, the worsening climate conditions and increasing deforestation. Mangrove forests, a natural resource in Pakistan, are on the verge of becoming extinct which will further harm the environment.
The mangroves are a gift of nature that protects us from storms, floods, tsunamis, cyclones and other natural disasters. While many have heard about how Karachi is saved every time from such disasters due to the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine, another reason is the mangrove cover. Providing multiple benefits, the mangroves prevent erosion and help absorb carbon dioxide from the environment up to 18% more efficiently than any other plant. The UN has also stressed the importance of mangroves highlighting how it is a thousand times cheaper per kilometre than building a sea wall for protecting the land from natural calamities.
Furthermore, the coasts where these mangroves grow are habitats for 25 different species of fish, crabs and shrimp that are feeds for the forest animals. The mangrove forests also serve as a stopover for birds like ducks, pelicans and flamingos who feed on these mangroves while migrating to warmer climates. Since industries have been polluting the coasts with their waste and oil spills for a long time, there is no freshwater supply and an increase in marine water pollution. This coastal pollution is the main cause of mangrove loss. Previously, Pakistan was home to eight mangrove species that were later reduced to only three due to inadequate freshwater flow, climate change, deforestation and other harmful threats to the environment.
Today, only 6% of land in Pakistan is covered by forests out of which less than 3% are mangrove forests. This means that Pakistan currently has 0.002% of land covered by mangrove forests which is ironical since Pakistani land is ideal for mangroves as it thrives in warmer climates. The country does not use its full potential and benefit like Brazil or Indonesia which are also warmer. Hence, the trees are neglected resulting in mangrove loss.

Three years ago, a fire broke out behind the mangrove trees in Hijrat Colony, Karachi. Later inspection revealed that the mangrove trees had been purposely set ablaze in an attempt to harm the already thinning mangrove forest. Since the fire raged out of control, residents stood helplessly watching the trees take their last breath. Similar incidents have also kept occurring in the past years which is alarming since it has resulted in an increasing rate of deforestation and global warming.
Adding to the problems are the land mafias who always have an eye for such land and they often burn the overall area covered by the mangroves in an attempt to speed up the process of vacating the land. Activists like Abdul Ghani and Abu Bakar have voiced their concerns, but were brutally silenced.
Another clique are the timber mafias who aim for the trees that ring the dense forest at the back so the trees look intact from afar. Their modus operandi is to cut those trees and sell the woods off for commercial use at a higher rate. Mangrove forests are important for the sustenance of a healthy ecosystem, but constant exploitation and negligence is damaging the environment and affecting the economy of the country.
A preventive, more holistic approach needs to be adopted at the grass-root level to save the mangrove forests. The government must declare the entire mangrove forest as a protected forest under the Pakistan Forest Act, 1927 and the charge should be given to the relevant Forest Department. In 1999, the World Bank suggested that mangrove forests be given the status of national parks for their protection.
Many educational institutions and NGOs have also started plantation drives to raise awareness about planting trees, but proper attention should be given to protect the old ones as well for it takes about 10-12 years for a tree to mature. Environmentalist expert, Shabeena Faraz, believes that planting mangrove saplings won’t be enough if appropriate actions are not taken against deforestation and land encroachment.
As per International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report, during the 1980s Pakistan had 615,000 to 700,000 acres of Indus Delta covered by mangrove forests, and by the 1990s only 395,000 acres of land were left. According to a statement released last year on the Mangrove Day by World Wide Fund for Nature – Pakistan (WWF-P), the mangroves cover only 130,000 hectares of Indus Delta.

It is tragic that such a natural landscape is being destroyed, because of the carelessness of the authorities. Action needs to be taken now to prevent any further damage to the mangrove forests.

The writer is Senior Sub-Editor, Bol News