‘Local communities should not rely on int’l bodies for conservation of natural resources, sustainable development’

Local communities dependent on water resources for earning their livelihood should not rely on outside support as local and international organisations are only to provide technical support and guidance so that people take ownership of their resources and work together to conserve them for their future generations.

This was stated by Sindh Forest and Wildlife Secretary Manzoor Ali Shah while speaking at a roundtable discussion on the WWF–Pakistan’s Indus Eco-region Community Livelihood Project (IECLP) at a local hotel on Thursday.

The project, supported by the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) and the World Bank, is aimed at providing alternative livelihood opportunities and improved capacity of fisher communities in four priority sites of the Indus Ecoregion.

These sites include Keenjhar Lake (Thatta district), Manchar Lake (Jamshoro district), Chotiari Wetlands Complex (Sanghar district) and Nara Wetlands Complex (Khairpur district).

Manzoor Ali Shaikh said Sindh was facing multiple socio-ecological and economic problems, which must be addressed on an urgent basis.

He emphasised the need to enhance community ownership and highlighted that local communities should not rely on outside support.

The government official maintained that international organisations were there to provide technical support and guidance, and hence sustainable models were needed to be created for long term benefits of the communities.

The forest secretary said the department was providing valuable input and suggestions to the programme in its role as the member of the Indus Ecoregion Steering Committee (IESC) and in his capacity as the provincial forests and wildlife secretary he would also be the chair of the sub-committee of the IESC.

He also committed to providing continued support to the IECLP at the target priority sites.

WWF–Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan said the IECLP was aimed at conserving natural resources, enhancing alternative livelihoods and reducing poverty in the Indus Ecoregion.

“Conservation processes take time and commitment from all the stakeholders especially communities which depend on natural resources,” he observed.

He said the challenge was so huge that the WWF-Pakistan alone could not tackle it and hence, joint efforts of the stakeholders were required to address the issues of conservation and sustainable livelihood of local communities.

Melissa Williams, senior rural development specialist of the Agriculture Global Practice, South Asia Region, World Bank, in her address through a video link shared that the World Bank was committed to collaborate and share knowledge for the implementation of this project.

She called for developing synergies between the IECLP and other projects being supported by the World Bank in Sindh. She said this was a great opportunity to bring together the economic development and poverty reduction agenda for conservation of these critical ecosystems.

Yasuharu Shinto, acting Japan consul-general in Karachi, said that Japan recognised the importance of the socio-economic development in local communities through improvements of their livelihood, showing its expectation for the IECLP's contribution, especially with supporting women, children and people with disabilities. He reiterated Japan's commitment to continue to provide its support to Pakistan.

Rab Nawaz, senior director programmes of the WWF-Pakistan, said the Indus Ecoregion supported rich biodiversity, including unique birds and animals.

He further said the WWF-Pakistan had tried to address the issues of natural resource management, pollution, sea erosion, loss of species, deforestation, hunting of birds and animals, and poverty through different projects in the ecoregion.  Ali Dehlavi, Sindh and Balochistan interim head of the WWF-Pakistan, briefed the participants about the IECLP objectives and expected outcomes.  He said the project would focus on gender empowerment, awareness raising and capacity building of local fisher communities.

He said the project would also organise fisher groups, cooperatives and it would help develop effective and sustainable market linkages. ”The IECLP will also incorporate climate change adaptation practices.”

Nasir Ali Panhwar, executive director at the Centre for Environment and Development, said that due to mismanagement of natural resources in rural Sindh, options for livelihood diversification were limited.

In this regard, more possibilities were needed to be explored for sustainable alternative livelihood, he added. 

He said the situation of freshwater wetlands in Sindh had been deteriorating and an integrated approach was required for their restoration.

Shamul Haq Memon, former secretary of the Sindh Wildlife and Forests department; Abdul Fatah Tunio, senior chief agriculture of the Sindh Planning and Development Department; Agha Tahir, conservator mangroves of the Sindh Wildlife Department; Dr Shahid Amjad of the Institute of Business Management; Riaz Wagan, conservator of the forest department; Umair Shahid, NIO coordinator of the WWF-Pakistan; Ghulam Qadir Shah of the IUCN; and community representatives Majeed Mangrio and Kamal Palari also spoke at the occasion.

Jameel Junejo, programme manager of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, and other representatives of government departments were also present.