Commander Coast, Vice Admiral Zahid Ilyas on Friday launched Mangroves Plantation Campaign 2021 by planting a mangrove sapling at Port Bin Qasim. Pakistan Navy has launched Mangroves Plantation Campaign 2021 in the Coastal Areas of Sindh and Balochistan provinces. “Mangroves are vital to coastal ecosystems, prevention of sea intrusion and sustaining of marine life. Being a major stakeholder of the maritime domain and realizing the importance of mangroves for marine life, Pakistan Navy has taken a major initiative to revive mangrove forests all along the coast,” said a Pakistan Navy media release. Realizing the importance of mangroves forests in combating pollution, countering coastal erosion and providing a number of economic and financial opportunities to coastal communities, Mangroves Plantation Campaign is part of PN environmental protection program under which Pakistan Navy has planted 07 million mangroves from Shah Bandar to Jiwani with the collaboration of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Sindh and Balochistan Forest departments. On this occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff in his message highlighted the challenges of sustainability and existence mangroves forests were facing. He emphasized that the covered area of mangroves forests has decreased significantly over the period due various factors such as reduction in fresh water supply, marine pollution, coastal erosion, mangroves cutting etc. Therefore, the requirement of new plantation as well as preservation/ protection of existing mangroves forests needs to be undertaken. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi in his message underscored the significance of PN Mangroves Plantation Campaign to achieve the goal of developing ‘Green Coastal Belt’. The Naval Chief urged the nation to join hands with the Pakistan Navy for maintaining a clean and better coastal environment by preserving and planting Mangroves for ourselves and our future generations. He said, “Mangroves make up one of the world’s most unique ecosystems and provide a host of benefits including protection of land from erosion and limit sea intrusion. Since mangroves are adapted to survive in saline and sheltered coastal areas, approximately 1/4th of the world’s tropical coastline has mangroves estimated to be spread over an area of approximately 181,000 square kilometers of 112 countries.” He added that Mangroves played an invaluable role as nature’s shield against cyclones and disasters and protect shorelines. They were valuable breeding and nursery grounds for a variety of fish and shrimp and host a variety of life forms like invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds etc. Above all, mangroves produce oxygen and purify the water by absorbing impurities, harmful substances and help us to breathe clean air by absorbing pollutants, the Naval Chief highlighted. “Pakistan is blessed with a 0.6 million mangrove ecosystem, probably the 10th largest in the world spread along the coast of Sindh and Balochistan. However, mangroves forests are facing a real challenge of sustainability and existence. Covered area of mangroves forests has decreased significantly over the period due to various factors such as reduction in fresh water supply, marine pollution, coastal erosion, mangroves cutting etc,” he said. Therefore, the requirement of new plantation as well as preservation/ protection of existing CP mangroves forests need to be undertaken. A coordinated effort of all stakeholders needs to be undertaken for expansion, preservation and rehabilitation of mangroves forests. In this regard, support of Govt agencies having administrative control of respective areas is paramount to revive the mangroves forests, he added. Pakistan Navy (PN) as a major stakeholder of the sea and coast of Pakistan actively participates in mangrove plantation in line with the vision of the Government of Pakistan. Considering it a national obligation, PN launched the Mangroves Plantation Campaign in 2016 with a plantation target of 1 million mangroves during which over 1.1 million mangroves saplings were planted. After the success of Pakistan Navy Mangrove Plantation Campaign-2016, PN regularly undertakes mangrove plantation annually at adjoining areas of its coastal establishments. Mangroves Plantation Campaign 2021 earmarks the significance & dedication of PN to achieve the goal of developing ‘Green Coastal Belt’. In this regard’s plantation is one part but ensuring their sustainability is the actual achievement. I would urge those involved in this plantation Campaign to give utmost importance to the sustainability aspect. Only then the campaign will have wide reaching and positive outcomes. (Improving the health of the environment will ultimately contribute to reducing the risk of local and national disasters through better flood management and protection, sustainable livelihood, ensuring food security, impacts of climate change and rising sea levels.