October 06, 2009
Leading Conservationists and departmental heads review the Indus Ecoregion Programme
Karachi: Multiple stakeholders represented by experts, departmental heads and senior officials reviewed the Indus Ecoregion Programme in a day-long consultative workshop.
The review process was undertaken keeping in view the 50-year vision of the Indus Ecoregion Programme and implementation experience in the four priority sites.
Indus Ecoregion Programme is a long-term initiative to conserve biological diversity in the lower Indus basin through participatory natural resource management and poverty alleviation. The first six-year (2006-2012) implementation phase of the programme is known as the Indus for All Programme.
Implemented by WWF Pakistan in close collaboration with Government of Sindh and other stakeholders, the Indus for All Programme is operational in four of the fourteen priority sites of the Indus Ecoregion. The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has generously provided financial support to implement the first phase in the four priority sites, which represent the critical ecosystems in the Indus ecoregion. These include deltaic ecosystem (Keti Bunder) and freshwater wetlands ecosystem (Keenjhar Lake) in District Thatta, forest ecosystem (Pai Forest) in District Shaheed Benazirabad and desert-wetlands ecosystem (Chotiari Reservoir) in District Sanghar.
In his opening remarks Dr. Laiq Ahmad Memon, the Secretary Fisheries, Government of Sindh expressed his confidence in the forum to guide the formulation of the next phase for the Indus Ecoregion Programme He further expressed his appreciation for the plenary and requested all to contribute in the best possible manner.
Mr. Hussain Tawawalla, resource person and Dr. Ghulam Akbar, Direcotr Indus for All Programme facilitated the consultative process by explaining the progress, so far, lessons learned and future prospects in the light of ecoregion conservation approach.
The participants deliberated on various aspects of the Programme including the progress so far, lessons learned in the first phase, current situation, various ecological and social factors and stakeholder’s contribution.
The workshop ended with revised vision statement of the Indus Ecoregion Programme. The targets were also revisited in the light of the revised vision and keeping in view the present ground situation as well. Moreover, new priority sites were also selected for the intended next phase of the programme, which include Shah Bunder (Deltaic Ecosystem) in district Thatta, Manchar Lake (Freshwater Wetlands Ecosystem) in district Dadu, Nara Wetlands Complex (Desert-Wetlands Complex) in districts Khairpur and Sukkur and Khebrani Forest (Riverine Forest) in district Matiari.
Representatives of Sindh Planning and Development Department, Sindh Forest Department, Sindh Wildlife Department, Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority, Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, Karachi Port Trust, National Institute of Oceanography, Marine Fisheries Department, Coastal Development Authority, University of Karachi, University of Sindh, Shah Abdul Latif University, Zoological Survey Department, Participatory Development Initiative, Fisheries Department, Institute of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology,Jamshoro, Sustainable Land-use Management Project of UNDP, IUCN, LEAD Pakistan, various media agencies and Staff of WWF Pakistan participated in the workshop.
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For further information:
Muhammad Zafar Khan, Manager Communications and Environmental Education
Contact: 0300 3495901, email: zafar.hilbi@gmail.com
Badarunissa, Communication Officer.
Contact: 03123642817, arshi_mtunio@yahoo.com
