KARACHI: Pakistan Navy, in line with the Govt of Pakistan vision of “Clean and Green Pakistan” launched the fifth consecutive campaign on Mangroves Plantation in the Coastal Areas of Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Commander Coast, Vice Admiral Faisal Rasool Lodhi graced the occasion as Chief Guest and inaugurated Pakistan Navy Mangroves Plantation Campaign 2020 by planting sapling of Mangroves at Port Bin Qasim area. This year Campaign entails an effort to plant over 3 Million Mangroves in the Coastal Areas of Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
Mangroves are vital to coastal ecosystem, prevention of sea intrusion and sustainment of marine life. Unfortunately over the years, Mangroves along the Pakistani coast have lessened due to negligence and apathy of all concerned. 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. Realizing the importance of Mangroves forests in combating pollution, countering coastal erosion and providing a number of economic and financial opportunities to coastal communities, Pakistan Navy in line with the vision of the Federal Government regularly under takes Mangroves Plantation Campaigns. In last 4 years, since the beginning of the mangrove plantation, Pakistan Navy has planted over 6 million mangroves all along the coastal belt of Sindh and Balochistan.
On this occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff in his message highlighted the severe environmental challenges due to high deforestation rate. The disquieting decline rate of mangroves has affected biodiversity of coastal areas and degraded the marine eco system. Therefore, it is imperative to forestall deforestation through well conceived policies and integrated institutional measure for economic sustenance and growth. The Naval Chief in his message reiterated Pakistan Navy’s commitment to play its role in preserving Mangroves forests and urged the Government departments, industrial community and individuals to join hands in this undertaking for the benefit of marine ecology and preserving the nature for future generations.
Due to nCOVID-19 pandemic, the mangrove plantation ceremony was attended by limited number of officials from Federal/ Provincial Forest Departments and reps of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). During the ceremony the representatives appreciated efforts of Pakistan Navy and extended their whole hearted support and technical assistance including survey of potential sites prior plantation of mangroves and provision of mangroves seeds/ saplings to Pakistan Navy for plantation at massive scale.
