Today is the World Day for the Conservation of Mangroves or Mangroves. The purpose of celebrating this day is to create awareness about the importance of these precious forests and their conservation.
Tamarind forests act as a natural wall to protect the coastal areas from natural disasters, their roots hold the land very firmly, which prevents sea erosion and also protects against storms and floods from the sea. is
Mangroves on the coastline not only reduce the intensity of hurricanes when they hit the coast, but also act as a protective wall against major threats like tsunamis.
In the year 2004, the dangerous tsunami in the Arabian Sea targeted many countries including India, but Pakistan remained safe due to the same tamer forests.
Fisherman Talib Kachhi says that mangrove forests not only stop natural tidal surges and limit the extent of floods, but also serve as breeding grounds for fish and crabs.
He further said that there are 35 species of fish that give birth to them in the forests, while birds from Siberia in the cold season also make them their habitat in the mangroves. After growing up here, they leave here.
Along the coastline, Pakistan has the seventh largest mangrove forest in Asia and the thirteenth largest in the world.
However, this Tamar, which has protected Karachi from the terrible storms and floods for a long time, is now under the threat of destruction.
Abdul Majeed Mutani, president of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, says that these dense mangrove forests have been hollowed out by the mafia.
He said that there are some industries in which boilers are used, but due to the high cost of gas and oil, now palm wood is being used to light the fire. It is the whole mafia that does this.
Majeed Motani said that the wood of Tamar is also used to make matches, furniture and other items. Locals also cut wood, but they choose those trees that are dry or black inside.
He said that it is a tragedy that there are laws, but despite this, the action is not implemented, which is a cause for concern.
He further said that Karachi is located in this region of the country, located in the south and that mangroves protect half of Karachi from storms coming from the south.
According to WWF Pakistan data, mangroves in Pakistan were spread over an area of 344,000 hectares in the 1950s, which have shrunk to 240,000 hectares now.
Vinod Kumar, coordinator of WWF Pakistan, says that the reason for the decline of mangroves is not only due to its cutting but also due to other reasons.
He said that climate change plays an important role in the reduction of mangroves and the lack of water in the Indus Delta is also the reason.
He said that there used to be 8 types of mangroves in the past to protect against natural calamities in Pakistan, but now there are only 4 types, it grows in both saline and fresh waters.
