Charter of Friends of Indus Forum

We the undersigned conservation activists, intellectuals and passionate persons to nature would like to form a common platform to protect collective natural heritage, biodiversity and natural resources of the province of Sindh. Multiple factors have generated diverse threats to the beautiful work of nature in which species are losing battle.  People depend on biodiversity and natural resources are pushed to extreme poverty and despair. Once lost, human being would not be able to craft a single plant or animal.

The vicious cycle of poverty and destruction of natural resources has been exacerbated in recent years, this trend first need to be halted and then reversed to preserve the ecological importance and biodiversity richness of the Sindh province. The task is gigantic, challenges are enormous, actors are diverse and threats coming from nature, human beings and those stretch from local to national and international. But journey needs to be started before it is too late. In this backdrop, forum agrees on following charter and principles and vision:

Vision Statement

Society that coexists in harmony with nature to ensure prosperity and better quality of life for current and future generations of the Indus Basin

Principles:

• Volunteerism: This will be an entirely voluntary forum, based on the interest  and passion of individual.
  
• Passion: Conservation objectives and outcomes are time consuming and require sufficient degree of passion and patience.
• Community’s Right: Communities depends on resources have innate right to use and protect them. External forces must respect these rights.
• Equality & respect: All the members and participants in this forum would enjoy equal rights, responsibilities and be treated with respect without class, caste, religion, gender and ethnicity.
• Balancing act: All the living organisms are essential component of natural creation and must be preserved for balancing the ecosystem and healthy environment

Conservation Charter

• Endeavor to reduce the threat to natural resources, biodiversity and essential habitats.
• Raise voices for revival of lost habitats, species and resources base in collaboration with all the concerned citizens
• Provide policy/advice to government of Sindh and organizations working for conservation based on customary laws, traditional knowledge and experiences
• Mobilize larger community support, awareness and lobbying for nature conservancy
• Document, publicize and demonstrate successes in biodiversity conservation
• Serve as an advisory body for government of Sindh, Pakistan and any other interested group for the revival of environment in Sindh
• Promote traditional conservation systems

Proposed Strategy

• Work as an independent forum comprising members of diverse disciplines and backgrounds
• Developing Environmental constituency through increased passionate membership
• Lobbying & advocacy with policy makers for nature conservation
• Effective involvement of media, academia and civil society to promote nature conservation
• Highlighting individual role models in the area of nature conservation.
• Prepare and promote youth as a future custodian of nature conservation