Call for Churna, Miani Hor islands to be declared marine protected areas

The National Coordinating Body of the Mangroves for the Future Programme (MFF) has proposed that Charna Island and Miani Hor should be declared as “Marine Protected Areas”.

The 16th meeting of the National Coordinating Body (NCB) of the Mangroves for the Future Programme (MFF) Pakistan was held on Monday at the Pakistan Naval Academy at Commandant PNA Rahbar, Manora.

The meeting was chaired by Syed Abu Ahmad Akif, federal secretary of the ministry of climate change. 

In his welcome remarks, commandant Rahbar of the, Pakistan Navy, Adnan Ahmed, welcomed the participants and thanked the IUCN Pakistan and the Mangroves for the Future Programme for organising the National Coordinating Body.

He said the Pakistan Navy had planted 1.2 million saplings of mangroves since the beginning of the campaign in 2016.

In his opening remarks, Syed Abu Ahmad Akif said that plans were afoot towards conservation of marine resources,

He urged the need for adopting a speedy process to ensure that the Churna Island, as also proposed at the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, be declared a marine protected area.

In this regard, a presentation was made by the WWF Pakistan, highlighting the significance of the Churna Island. 

Syed Mahmood Nasir updated on the decisions and the actions taken at the previous NCB meeting and facilitated the discussion towards inclusion of sub-committee for tasks being identified at the NCB meetings.

Ghulam Qadir Shah, national coordinator for the Mangroves for the Future Programme Pakistan, shared the achievements different projects with the participants, and described some of the ongoing initiatives underway at the MFF.

In the concluding remarks, Mahmood Akhtar Cheema said the IUCN through its MFF programme had entered into a strategic partnership with the Pakistan Navy and the plantation of mangroves along Sindh and Balochistan coasts was where the IUCN was ready to provide all kinds of facilitation.

The participants also visited the Biological Wastewater Treatment Plant constructed by the Pakistan Navy under the MFF funded project.

The Pakistan Representative also briefed the participants on the Wastewater Treatment Plant.