Daily Times

To mitigate the impact of climate change and increase tree cover, World Wide Fund-Pakistan launched a drive to plant a 100,000 mangrove saplings along the coastal belt of Balochistan.

This campaign aims to mitigate climate change, regulate water cycles and increase green cover across the country. During the launch event, saplings were planted at MianiHor which is a hotspot of mangroves, marine dolphins and various species of coastal birds.

This plantation campaign is an initiative of WWF-Pakistan with the aim to increase mangroves forest cover with active participation of different stakeholders mainly local communities and passionate individuals

Speaking on the occasion, WWF-Pakistan Sindh & Balochistan Regional Head Dr Babar Khan said that Pakistan is recognised as having the seventh largest mangrove forests in the world. These forests are one of the primary features of coastal ecosystems and are widely spread across the coast of Pakistan. He said that MianiHor covers a large area which comprise of dense mangrove forests. This is the only area in Pakistan where three species of mangroves, such as Avicennia marina, Rhizophoramucronata and Ceriopstagal occur naturally. These mangroves provide an ideal habitat for growth of marine plants and animals. He also shared that mangroves are the first line of defence against cyclones, strong surges, tsunami and other natural calamities impacting the coastal areas of Pakistan.

This plantation campaign is an initiative of WWF-Pakistan with the aim to increase mangroves forest cover with active participation of different stakeholders mainly local communities and passionate individuals.