Pakistan’s mangrove forests are thriving, except in the megacity of Karachi

• Aletta Andre

  India correspondent

Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. One example is the extreme rains that contributed to major flooding this year. To arm the coastal regions against this, the country uses a natural source: the mangrove forests. Protection and plantations make Pakistan one of the few countries in the world where the area of ​​coastal mangrove forest has increased in recent years. Only in the megacity of Karachi does this remain a challenge.

“We are protecting the forests, it is our duty, but until everyone helps, it is very difficult,” said Shehzad Gill of the Sindh Provincial Forestry Department. “There is a lot of development in Karachi. We are trying to convince the relevant government agencies and departments to cut as few trees as possible. Because development is good, but at what cost?”

In general, increasing mangrove forests has been very successful, says Gill. “We now have three times more mangrove forests than 20 years ago.” It shows on a map where new forests have been planted and where this is planned for the coming years. “It has to become much more. We largely control illegal logging. Only in 5-7% of the forest near Karachi is it a problem.”

On the beach near the city, it is clear how vulnerable Karachi is. The waves are high and directly on the beach are towers, offices and shops. “Until the 1980s, there was only mangrove forest,” says climate journalist Aafia Salam.

From the car, she points the town between the sea and the road we’re driving on, toward a hotel that overlooks a patch of mangrove forest visible from the town. “Wherever you have a growing population, there’s pressure on natural resources,” she says.

And she explains that it is not just the felling of trees that destroys mangrove forests. Because Karachi’s natural drainage channels have largely been turned into open sewers, a lot of dirty water is pouring into the sea. “It’s also killing the trees.”

Salam, like Gill, says only in Karachi are the mangrove forests in trouble. “Once you get out of town, you definitely see them thriving,” she says. Gill explains that forest managers work with local communities to combat illegal logging and manage plantations. “We explain to these communities that if there were no mangrove forests, they themselves would be the first victims of a tsunami or a storm surge.”

Mangrove forests are also considered the first line of defense against climate change. They protect coastal areas from sea level rise and extreme weather conditions like hurricanes. They can also store CO2 much better than other trees, which in turn can help fight global warming.

From most places in Karachi, mangrove forests are nowhere to be found. Yet there is such a line of defense on the south side of the city. When we sail with Mehran Ali Shah’s fishing boat, they get closer and closer. Seven kilometers by boat from the city, it shows a group of islands completely covered in trees.

The islets lie just off the coast of the fishing village where he grew up. Her father was a well-known fishermen’s rights activist who died a few years ago. Today, Mehran is committed to preserving the mangrove forests.

“We are very concerned about the situation because you can see that on the side of Karachi where there are no mangrove forests, there are very high waves. We cannot get there with our boat. that is why we are very concerned for the fishermen, for Karachi, for the province of Sindh and for our livelihood.”