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'Country needs to

address critically

threatened ecosystem'

KARACHI: Senior conservationist Dr. Ashiq Ahmed has strongly recommended adequate support for rural and sub-urban communities helping them conserve and make sustainable use of existent ecosystems in the country.

In this presentation at the fourth national training session," ecology and environment: challenges for sustainability" organised by LEADS here, he said that at least 10 of the ecosystems in Pakistan are critically threatened and need to be urgently addressed.

The ecosystems categorised in this head included Indus delta and coastal wetlands, Indus riverian wetlands, Chaghai desert, Balochistan Juniper forests, Chilghoza forest, Balochistan Sub-tropical forests, Balochistan rivers, Tropical deciduous forests, Moist and dry temperate forests, Trans-Himalayan Alps and plateaux.

He observed that lack of political will, at different levels, to conserve the ecosystems including terrestrial, fresh water and marine has started playing havoc with nature, casting severe impact on public health.

He referred to massive destruction of natural habitat, deforestation, large scale killings of animals, extensive and unrealistic exploitation of natural resources as water courses, ultimately exposing country, and in the larger perspective the world itself, to all sorts of calamities.

Discussing the close linkage between terrestrial ecosystem and carnivores/herbivores, the speakers cited these to be natural indicators reflecting actual status of any particular zone.

"Extinction of any of these do have a serious impact on the entire system," he said.

The conservationist stressed for a community oriented strategy for protection of ecosystems be they mountains, forests, deserts or wetlands as they being the immediately concerned groups could act efficiently as the true conservators.

He cited the Chilghoza forests Conservation project in one of the remotest areas of Balochistan, which he said through networking between different tribal groups and the concerned organisations had set a precedence in the entire province.ÑAPP