Sindh has two million acres of forest land out of which 1,020,000 acres are rangeland, 700,000 acres are under mangrove forests, 1,80,000 acres are being cultivated by private persons and the remaining land is Katch Forest Land. For generations, certain tribal chiefs and politicians, the police and bureaucrats hold 1,40,000 acres of forest land.
Legally speaking, it is not permissible to lease out forest land permanently. We have rendered Keenjhar and Manchar lakes unfriendly to all species. The government is requested to emulate the policies of European countries that have invited private persons and land owners to produce and rear endangered species which naturally result in the cultivation of more forests. After Independence, our provincial governments have neither successfully implemented international donor agencies programmes to preserve forest nor amended the forest and wild life laws to prosecute violators.
Fayaz ul Karim Memon
Karachi