T h e P a k i s t a n W e t l a n d s P r o g r a m m e Vol. 3 No. 31 w w w . p a k i s t a n w e t l a n d s . o r g Sep - Nov, 2009 “Nothing Slips By” Articles in this Edition: Logger head turtle at Gwadar Street Theatre Also Lurking Inside: Programme Updates Public Events Production Staff: Pakistan Wet Notes is Mangrove plantation compiled by Nasir Iqbal Malik, Coordinator, National Awareness-raising and Programme updates Communications, PWP, Training and Capacity conservation of wetlands in Pakistan. Taseer Ali Mirza, Building In this quarter, the training and capacity Communication Officer, building section conducted five training Graphic Design by courses in which 372 participants were Basharat Hussain. trained. These courses include Principles and Applications of Conservation, GIS which is offered to Wildlife and Forest Unless specifically credited, all Departments throughout the country and photographs have been taken Natural Resource Management. Training by members of the PWP Team in Natural Resource Management was and may be used, with proper also given to participants of Civil Service acknowledgment, for any Academy Lahore. These courses were bonafide conservation purpose offered in Sindh and Punjab. NRM workshop at Civil The Pakistan Wetlands Programme has designed and conducted various training Services Academy, Lahore courses since its inception. These A two day workshop on Natural Resource training courses have been designed to Management (NRM) for CSS officers at impart the knowledge of wetlands and the premises of Civil Services Academy their management so that participants (CSA), Lahore was organised by the from various organisations can contribute Pakistan Wetlands Programme (PWP) on towards the protection, restoration and Continued on page 2 U N D P Continued from page 1 th th training workshops. representatives from Sindh rangers, September 16 – 17 , 2009. 180 As a sequel to the NRM workshops Mr. Muhammad Sheikh Taj (Deputy officers from various occupational presented to Pakistan Rangers Conservator, Sindh Wildlife groups participated in the Punjab, PWP organised workshops Department) and game officer, Mir workshop. for Suchal, Shahbaz and Bhittai Akhtar Hussain joined the PWP Advisor NRM Training from Pakistan Rangers in Karachi and Thar team. The participants were divided Wetlands Programme briefed Rangers in Sukkur from November into three groups each led by wildlife participants about workshop's 16th – 23rd, 2009. Renowned expert. Participants were briefed scope, objectives and framework. conservationists and environmental about bird migration, migratory Mr. Richard Garstang, National experts including Dr. Fahmida routes, habitats and threats posed Project Manager introduced the F i r d o u s , P r o f . Z B M i r z a , by global climate change, pollution, PWP, biodiversity and ecotourism Dr. Moazzam Ali Khan, Dr. Shakeel socio-economic pressures on the TWO prospects for Pakistan. Eminent Auj and Dr. Muhammad Arshad lake and lastly but most specifically, scholars presented their lectures on delivered their lectures on different the role Rangers can play to check NRM including Prof. ZB Mirza, Dr. subjects. unethical hunting were explained Mumtaz Malik, Mr. Safdar Ali Shah During the workshops, participants and emphasised. and Dr. Attaullah Shah and Mr. Afzal from the Sindh Rangers at Karachi Medical Camp at Hussain. During their respective were taken to the Wetlands Centre Suntsar Village, Dasht presentations, they apprised the at Sandspit where Dr. Altaf Abro Pakistan Wetlands Programme's participants about eco-system (Indus for All Programme, WWF - Makran Coastal Wetlands Complex i s s u e s a n d m a n a g e m e n t , Pakistan) and others briefed them (MCWC) site office organised a one indigenous horticulture and on the functioning of the Wetlands day medical camp at Samati Village, landscaping, wildlife conservation Centre, threats to the local Dasht, with the collaboration of in Pakistan and environmental mangrove forest, highlights of Indus Rural Community Development impact assessment (EIA). e c o - r e g i o n p r o g r a m m e Council (RCDC), President Primary The opening session of the management and conservation Health Initiatives (PPHI) and workshop was also attended by DG initiatives taken by the PWP. National Rural Support Programme WWF - Pakistan Mr. Ali Hasan Habib Conservationist Mr. Babar Hussain (NRSP), Gwadar office. and Vice President Emiratus WWF described the dynamics of the As a result of social mobilization at and Chairman Houbara Foundation mangrove forest and its importance Dasht for the conservation of marsh of Pakistan, Brig Mukhtar Ahmed. to marine ecology while Dr. Fehmida crocodile, it was also observed that The CSA is the first bureaucrat Firdous from the Sindh Wildlife many people are sick or unhealthy organisation for which the NRM Department briefed the Rangers due to the use of unhygienic workshop was organised. The about threats both from poachers practices like use of contaminated objective of this workshop was to and pollution which the endangered water from Dasht River and non enhance the capacity building of green turtles in Pakistan's waters availability of health facilities in civil services trainees in natural are facing. remote areas. It was decided to resource management. Since CSS While participants from Sukkur were jointly organise a medical camp for officers are intimately involved in taken to Lungh Lake where policy making, district management and community development, the workshop focused on highlighting the role they can play in the nature conservation in different eco regions of Pakistan. NRM Workshop for Pakistan Rangers, Sindh The Pakistan Rangers are part of the paramilitary force, and the organization has members of the Pakistan Army under the control of the Ministry of the Interior. Pakistan Rangers are divided into two separate branches: Pakistan Rangers Sindh and Pakistan Rangers Punjab. In spite of their paramilitary role, both divisions have participated in the Pakistan Wetlands Programme's NRM Continued on page 3 T h e P a k i s t a n W e t l a n d s P r o g r a m m e Vol. 3 No. 23 Sep - Nov, 2009 Continued from page 2 fourteen migratory birds. Among the Marine turtles tagging at the wetlands users at Dasht with birds, there was one herring gull, help from partner organisations. Daran Village, Jiwani nine common quell and two In this medical camp, there were buzzards. four male doctors: child specialist, The site team, with technical help of ENT specialist, eye specialist, and RPM, organised and used various dental surgeon and a female techniques for capturing the birds in gynaecologist who served in the the wild. camp along with a dental technician The bird ringing programme's main and a vaccinator. objective was to ring certain A total of 344 patients were migratory waterfowl and other birds facilitated in the camps along with that use the migratory routs from the 41 cases of different types of Makran Coast to northern Pakistan. vaccinations. There were 69 males, As a result of this programme, when 159 females and 344 children from THREE the birds are recaptured it will help in various villages. The major diseases defining the migratory routes and treated were heart problems, eye threats to the birds during migration. diseases, ENT, body pain, stomach Then PWP will be able to make a problems and water borne management and conservation diseases. plan for the birds. The PWP team displayed banners Most waterfowl species use the Pakistan Wetlands Programme's with slogans for healthy people and Makran Coast in winter and migrate MCWC site office, Gwadar mounted healthy wetlands. Meanwhile the in summer. The duration of their stay two satellite transmitters to marine Programme team distributed water depends on food availability and turtles at Daran Beach, Jiwani. Mr. purifiers among the community for environmental changes in the Ahmed Khan, Regional Programme cleaning the freshwater which they cooler regions. Each year PWP- M a n a g e r c o n d u c t e d t h i s use from the Dasht River. The final MCWC have to ring more than two programme and mounted PWP-07 m e s s a g e c o n v e y e d t o a l l hundred birds in four seasons. The and PWP-08 satellite transmitters on participants/patients was that if they Programme is also planning to f e m a l e g r e e n t u r t l e s . T h e wisely use their wetlands and collect blood samples of each bird transmitters will remain attached to protect them from pollution then to identify genetic variables in the the turtles for six months, which is they will be healthy and strong. birds. also the time the batteries will last. Bird ringing programme Executive District Officer of The site team later tagged five conducted at Gwadar Balochistan Forest and Wildlife marine turtles. They also trained the local community of Daran who are PWP MCWC site office conducted a Department, Mr. Maqbool Hassan taking care of the turtles on all three bird ringing programme at MCWC and his staff accompanied the PWP beaches. Now they able to tag them site office, Gwadar. Mr. Ahmed Khan t e a m f o r t h e b i r d r i n g i n g by them selves. Regional Programme Manager programme. They also helped in Executive District Officer, Mr. supervised this activity and ringed capturing birds of prey like buzzard falcon. Maqbool Hassan from Balochistan Forest and Wildlife Department, Gwader office with his staff also visited the turtle tagging site Daran village and he got informed about the whole scientific techniques of fixing the satellite transmitters and t a g g i n g a c t i v i t i e s f o r t h e conservation of marine turtles.