Mafia poses threat to mangroves

Hundred of thousands people in Karachi depend on the mangroves for their livelihood. For villages surrounding the forests, the mangroves provide food, fodder and fuel-wood. Mangrove forests also provide protection to the coastal areas from strong winds and ocean currents. Their vegetation also helps in reducing coastline erosion because the roots collect sediments that flow into the sea from the river.

Over the past several years, the degradation of Pakistan’s mangroves has occurred at the rate of 6 per cent per annum. As a result, only 16 per cent of Pakistan’s mangroves are thought to be healthy. The most harmful environmental stress that the mangroves face today derives largely from human activity. The steady growth of a major industrial city within the vicinity, the untreated sewage and industrial discharge, the increase in the demand for fuel wood, overgrazing and over-exploitation of resources are just a few of the strains on the mangrove’s ecosystem.

The reduction of incoming freshwater flows also threatens the survival of the mangrove ecosystem. Recently, The World Bank proposed that the mangrove area become a national park, and a foreigner NGO asked that the area be designated a biosphere reserve. The biosphere reserve may serve to protect and contribute to the conservation of the area as well as foster economic and human development, enabling the communities to manage the natural resources themselves and ensure sustainability. Because of the high dependence of villagers on the mangrove resources, these proposals do not seem very practical to many.

Presently, there are three government bodies - the Sindh Forest Department, the Port Qasim Authority and the Board of Revenue - that control and manage different areas of the mangroves.