LAHORE
WWF-Pakistan celebrated World Environment Day (WED) across the country with an aim to encourage people to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products.
On Sunday, WWF-Pakistan held a number of activities to raise awareness within the public on illegal trade of wildlife. In Lahore, WWF-Pakistan presented a paper titled 'The Impacts of Over-exploitation of Resources on Domestic Consumers' at Pakistan Engineering Congress (PEC).
The paper reviewed water as a resource impacting the social, environmental and economic conditions of peri-urban areas of Lahore and was viewed in the context of the tragedy of commons. The paper stressed the need of taking concrete measures to develop a strategy both on a local and national level to conserve the already depleting levels of water. Similarly, WWF-Pakistan will participate in an event organised by the Environmental Protection Agency today (Monday) at the Punjab Auditorium and will screen a documentary on the plight of the endangered pangolin.
Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan, in his message on World Environment Day stressed the urgency and need to put an end to illegal trade of wildlife. “Action against illegal wildlife trade has become a high global priority with the United Nations General Assembly adopting a resolution last year urging all countries to make this a serious criminal offence. The flourishing illegal trade, if not curtailed, will rob the world of its natural treasures by pushing species towards extinction. We are at a crossroad where we must choose between mere lip service and plain old hard work towards eradicating this severe problem.” He appealed to everyone be it the government, civil society, businesses or individuals to press everyone to do whatever they can to stop the illegal trade of wildlife.
At Taunsa Barrage, WWF-Pakistan along with a Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) conducted an awareness walk from with a message to put an end to illegal poaching. At the end of the walk, the participants released confiscated freshwater turtles into the Indus river. In Sukkur, the organisation conducted an awareness workshop for animal and bird dealers, and Wildlife Department field staff at Indus Dolphin Conservation Centre. On the occasion, Taj Muhammad Shaikh, Deputy Conservator, Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) gave an overview of wildlife in the province, the threats it faces and efforts of the SWD to control illegal wildlife trade.
Representatives of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), Sindh Forest Department and Sindh Fisheries Department also participated in the workshop and pledged to play a central role in changing attitudes of people involved in illegal wildlife trade and practices.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, WWF-Pakistan organised an art and declamation contest for students. In Skardu, WWF-Pakistan representatives participated in a seminar organised by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on ‘Zero Tolerance for Illegal Wildlife Trade’.
WWF officials said that illegal trade in wildlife is estimated to profit criminals to the tune of $23 billion annually worldwide. It comprises everything from the lucrative trade in tiger parts in East Asia to ivory from poached African elephants.
Due to the illegal trade in wildlife products our planet is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of both flora and fauna-the sixth wave of mass extinctions in the past half–billion years. Unlike the past mass extinctions which were a result of natural causes, the current crisis is entirely man-made. Every species extinction leads to the extinction of others bound to it in a complex ecological web.