Karachi loses protected mangroves for housing schemes, development projects

Amidst Karachi’s growing concrete jungle, mangrove forests which protect the city’s coastline against cyclones, strong winds, coastal flooding or other climate change induced disasters, face serious threat of destruction.

A recent report by WWF-Pakistan has identified several locations along the Karachi coast where significant tracts of mangroves have been cleared for housing schemes and commercial and industrial projects. The report also highlighted areas where mangrove landscapes were still under threat of massive deforestation.

It proposed that to stop mangrove destruction along the coastline of Karachi, it is essential to implement strict enforcement of laws and encourage reforestation and natural regeneration programmes. It warned that if preventive measures are not taken in time, existing mangrove areas could potentially be removed or destroyed in the near future.

Using Earth Observation Satellites, Remote Sensing and GIS tools, geospatial experts at the Richard Garstang Conservation Lab at WWF-Pakistan recorded data on mangrove cover in Karachi over the last two decades.  They found that land reclamation and cutting of mangroves for housing schemes and development projects have resulted in the rapid decline of mangrove cover in Karachi.

Based on this report, WWF-Pakistan emphasized the need to prevent the further destruction of mangroves along Karachi’s coastline through better planning, effective implementation strategies, and coordinated actions by relevant organizations and departments.

The Sindh Forest Department (SFD) has been making significant progress in the conservation and management of the mangrove forests in the province. The department planted mangroves on 55,555 hectares along the Sindh coastline, mainly in the Indus Delta, through their ambitious projects between 2020 and 2024.