Mangroves Forests; A Biological Wall

Timer forests in Pakistan are counted among the largest marine forests in the world. It is covered by 990 kilometers of coastal belt. These forests are 90% in Sindh and 10% in Balochistan. It covers 6,000 hectare or 15,000 acres of land. These forests supply oxygen and absorb carbon while fish lay eggs in these forests and other aquatic life species including prawns are found to be the livelihood for fishermen in addition to hurricanes and tsunami disasters these forests play the role of the 1st front that’s why they are called silent soldiers. But the sad thing is that these forests have been facing many dangers for the past one and a half decade. There are very big forests but when you go inside , it is hollow. The Mafia is cutting the forests day and night and extracting land from here. After extracting the land, they apply their own projects on it. The locals don’t cut it, the outsiders are the cause of deforestation. They are doing this damage to micro-organisms. The water used to be filled with fish but now the number has decreased. There is only pollution and garbage left there. The factories are dropping their waste material in the sea and it is causing pollution and damaging the marine species. Mangroves will also be destroyed because of this pollution. Fish will also be finished. It takes five to twenty years to become a full tree. There are common types of timers found all over the world. At times, there were eight types of them in Pakistan but now there are only four types. There is no fresh water in Delta because industrial waste emissions are spreading into the ocean. 

Thus, the  loss of Mangroves in coastal areas are resulting in:

a) a reduced reproduction and procurement of commercially important fish

b) loss of livelihood and declining health of communities (particularly women, children and elders dependent on fish-based products as a primary source of sustenance)

c) increased coastal erosion, damage to coastal villages and agricultural land through salt-water intrusion and contamination

d) reduced availability of wood, loss of faunal and floral biodiversity, and the silting up of navigational channels and ports.

Residential projects, illegal  logging, and climate change are major threats to Timer’s forests. These forests act as a biological wall because these trees are in such a way that they attach their roots with each other and strongly attach with each other and have grip. By doing it, a network is created which keeps the trees together and develops a wall. There is a large number of shrimps and fish that grows in this natural nursery i.e mangroves. And it is essential to our coast saving and to save mangroves. By saving the mangroves, we are saving ourselves. So, if you want to save yourself then save the mangroves because they are providing us with oxygen and absorbing the carbon from the environment and making it living friendly. If we save a hectare in one year, we will get the benefit of 37,500 dollars in exchange. In the same way, if we talk about mangroves , it was a common tree in the past but now it’s worth has increased as we get to know its benefits. These mangroves are not only necessary for timber but also for honey, biological wall and protection of the environment. In the tree plantation plan of the former Prime Minister, timber forests are also included. The Sindh Forest Department has also included a new plantation in their plan. 

There is a dire need for integrated planning and management, based on sound legal principles. Conserving existing mangrove forests is often more effective than planting new forests. There should be proper and careful selection of appropriate sites and species and an ecosystem based approach to mangrove plantation and management, which uses and supports natural regeneration and other natural processes.

Involving local communities, on the other hand, in mangrove management is an effective way of maintaining and enhancing the protection  of mangrove forests, while also providing livelihood for local people and contributing to better assessment and governance of natural resources. Assessment of the status of mangrove forests is essential for better conservation planning and management. This also includes the research and economic assessment and valuation.

In the areas of Korangi and Lyari the families faced problems due to deforestation, mostly in the form of eroded soil and the non-salinity of water. Many families also had to relocate/migrate elsewhere, losing their livelihood in the process. In the long run, alternative means of planting and conservation of mangroves will be very important, otherwise detrimental effects will be caused to the environment, as well as humans and animals living off of the benefits of these very important coastal shrubs. The Sindh government should further pursue establishing firm laws and making sure they are implemented, and action is being taken to conserve the Mangrove forests.