Sindh govt commits to support conservation, livelihood initiatives

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Secretary has said that Sindh is home to rich natural resources and is bestowed with a wide range of wetlands including 10 Ramsar sites and these significant wildlife and water bodies need to be managed sustainably through collaborative efforts and livelihood support.Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah said this while chairing a meeting with WWF-Pakistan at his office. The purpose of the meeting was to further strengthen collaboration between WWF-Pakistan and the government of Sindh for nature conservation and sustainable development in the province. The Chief Secretary appreciated the efforts of WWF-Pakistan in conservation of biodiversity, supporting the livelihood of fisher communities and promotion of renewable energy in rural areas of the province. He lauded the breakthrough revival of Indigo after more than 30 years, which can be a major source of livelihood for underprivileged communities. He assured that the Government of Sindh will extend all support for intellectual property rights for the traditional indigo dye making process – SINDIGO to farmers of Sindh. He said that Karoonjhar Hills would be declared wildlife sanctuary for conservation of biodiversity, in general and vultures, in particular. He requested WWF-Pakistan to assess the current state of Ramsar sites in Sindh and develop management plans for their conservation and restoration in collaboration with the Sindh Wildlife Department. Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General, WWF-Pakistan, apprised the participants of the meeting about various WWF-Pakistan initiatives including the Indus Ecoregion Community Livelihood Project (IECLP) which aims to improve livelihood and builds capacity of local fishers and farmers at four priority wetlands sites namely Keenjhar, Manchar, Chotiari Reservoir and Nara Canal. The meeting was attended by Dr. Shereen Mustafa Narejo, Secretary Planning and Development Department; Dr. Abdul Rahim Soomro, Secretary Forests and Wildlife Department; Saeed Mangnejo Secretary Environment and Climate Change and others

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