Daily Times

KARACHI: In order to conduct scientific research and share information on food and water security, and biodiversity conservation, World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) and Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday. The MoU aims to build and strengthen collaboration between WWF-Pakistan and SAU, Tandojam for research and documentation of scientific knowledge concerning conservation and sustainable management of natural resources for food security and poverty alleviation in Sindh.

WWF-Pakistan and SAU Tandojam will mutually share knowledge and information for scientific research in the fields of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in the region. They will also build research and development collaboration that benefits the faculty, students and the local communities at large. Under this MoU, the parties will also co-publish research articles in high repute scientific journals.

Speaking during the MoU signing ceremony, Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General, WWF-Pakistan said that local communities are highly dependent on the environment and related natural resources. He shared that there is close link between food security and natural resource management. The poor suffer most when water, land and air are polluted. He pointed out that this MoU will help address scarcity of data on food security and water quality in Sindh. He hoped that this initiative will result in long term collaboration for conservation of important flora in the province.

Professor Dr. Mujeeb-u-ddin Sahrai, Vice Chancellor SAU Tandojam urged academia and scientists present to focus their research on creating scientific knowledge to cope with the challenges of conservation and food security. He emphasized the importance in involving local practitioners in identification of research priorities for a knowledge-based economy that will ultimately be helpful to further conservation and natural resource management in the region.

Published in Daily Times, March 20^th 2018.