Mangroves of Pakistan Status and Management
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MANGROVES OF PAKISTAN STATUS AND MANAGEMENT IUCN Pakistan 2005 Mangrove of Pakistan – Status and Management Contents List of Tables vi List of Figures vi List of Acronyms vii Acknowledgements viii Preface ix Chapter 1 Introduction 1 • 1.1 Historical Background 2 • 1.2 Mangrove System – Extent and Distribution 3 • 1.3 Distribution – Sindh Coast 5 • 1.4 Status 6 • 1.5 Distribution – Balochistan Coast 8 • 1.6 Physical Environment 9 - 1.6.1 Climate - 1.6.2 Soils - 1.6.3 Water Chapter 2 Biological and Ecological Characteristics 11 • 2.1 Flora 11 • 2.2 Fauna 14 • 2.3 Micro Organisms 17 • 2.4 Other Inter-related Ecosystems 16 Chapter 3 Human inhabitation and Traditional Mangrove Usage Patterns 18 • 3.1 Demographic and Social Aspects 19 • 3.2 Commercial Exploitation and Marketing 20 - 3.2.1 Major Forest Products - 3.2.2 Minor Forest Products • 3.3 Conversion for other uses 22 - 3.3.1 Aqua Culture - 3.3.2 Urbanization - 3.3.3 Other uses - 3.3.4 Wildlife - ii Mangrove of Pakistan – Status and Management Chapter 4 Degradation of Mangrove Forests 24 • 4.1 Decrease in the Mangrove Area and Cover 24 - 4.1.1 Report of the National Commission on Agriculture (1988) - 4.1.2 Environmental Profile of Pakistan (1987) - 4.1.3 Pakistan National Conservation Strategy (1992) • 4.2 Adverse Factors Affecting Mangroves 26 - 4.2.1 Decreasing freshwater / floodwater and reduction silt deposition - 4.2.2 Dependence of mangroves on freshwater - 4.2.3 The active delta area • 4.3 Over cutting 31 • 4.4 Grazing, browsing and lopping 31 - 4.4.1 Grazing - 4.4.2 Browsing - 4.4.3 Lopping • 4.5 Pollution and Algal Bloom 33 • 4.6 Erosion 34 • 4.7 Ecotourism 34 Chapter 5 Preservation 35 • 5.1 History of Protection in the Indus Delta 35 • 5.2 The Indus Delta Biosphere Reserve Concept 37 • 5.3 Applicability to the Delta 38 • 5.4 Status of Indus Delta Natural Resources 39 - 5.4.1 Changes in Indus Delta in the period 1990-1998 - 5.4.2 Status of Indus Delta Fisher-folk • 5.5 The Indus Delta Biosphere Reserve / Rehabilitation Area 41 - 5.5.1 The process - 5.5.2 Indus Delta zonation • 5.6 Ideas for Future Work 43 • 5.7 Conclusion 45 • 5.8 The Global 200 – Indus Delta Ecoregion 45 - 5.8.1 Location - 5.8.2 Habitat Types - 5.8.3 Biodiversity - 5.8.4 Legislative Jurisdiction - 5.8.5 Economic Significance - 5.8.6 Issues and Threats - iii Mangrove of Pakistan – Status and Management Chapter 6 Mangrove Management 52 • 6.1 Management of Mangrove Forests 53 • 6.2 Management Policies 54 • 6.3 Research Programmes 55 • 6.4 Mangrove Plantation 57 - 6.4.1 Site Selection - 6.4.2 Mangrove nursery techniques - 6.4.3 Planting methods - 6.4.4 Special plantation - 6.4.5 Mangrove plantations raised by governmental and non governmental organizations - 6.4.6 Mangrove protection and plantation management Chapter 7 Research and Training 66 • 7.1 Ecophysiology 66 • 7.2 Microbiology of mangrove ecosystems 66 • 7.3 Primary productivity 67 • 7.4 Turnover, decomposition and nutrient cycling 67 • 7.5 Significance of mangrove for fishery resources 67 • 7.6 Food web studies 67 • 7.7 Pest, diseases and human health 68 • 7.8 Concluding remarks 69 Chapter 8 Conclusion and Recommendations 70 • 8.1 Conclusions 70 - 8.1.1 Research - 8.1.2 Scientific mangrove training - 8.1.3 Management - 8.1.4 Information and communication - 8.1.5 Education and awareness • 8.2 Recommendations 72 - 8.2.1 Research and man power training - 8.2.2 Management - 8.2.3 Information and communication - 8.2.4 Education and awareness - iv Mangrove of Pakistan – Status and Management Appendix I Assessment of Mangroves Coastal Resources of Pakistan Using Remote Sensing Technology 75 Appendix II Tasman Spirit Oil Spill (TSOS) Mangrove Resource Study Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) 87 References 107 - v Mangrove of Pakistan – Status and Management List of Tables Table 1. Mangrove vegetation in the Indus Delta region Table 2. Mangrove vegetation areas in the protected forests of the Indus Delta Table 3. Mangrove Forest Area Table 4. Mangrove Forest Area under S.F.D during 1985 Table 5 Mangrove Forest Area under different authorities Table 6 Distribution of Mangrove vegetation along the coast of Balochistan Table 7. Associated problems in different categories of coastal low land soils Table 8 The salinity recorded at different locations in mangrove habitat. Table 9. List and distribution of mangroves species in Pakistan Table 10. Mangrove fish Table 11. Average Annual and Seasonal Discharge Volumes Downstream of Kotri Barrage Table 12 Camel population in mangrove forest area. Table 13. Objectives and uses of preservation areas Table 14. Mangrove plantations at different locations Table 15. Rehabilitation of Mangroves in the Indus Delta and Balochistan Coast List of Figures Cover A boatman waiting for catch in mature Avicenna marina stand at Korangi creek. Figure 1 World distribution of salt marshes and Mangal (Chapman, 1975) Figure 2 The coastline of Sindh Figure 3 Rhizophora mucronata growing near Shah bunder Figure 4 Normal mangroves Figure 5 Sparse mangroves Figure 6 Browsing by camels Figure 7 Flamingos and jackal in mangrove habitat Figure 8 Discharge Volumes at D/S of Kotri Barrage Figure 9 Overcutting Figure 10 Polluted channels pouring in mangrove to cause algal bloom Figure 11 Stand of stunted A.marina in Keti Bunder Figure 12 The economic dependence on mangrove Figure 13 Nursery Figure 14 Rhizophora mucronata - vi Mangrove of Pakistan – Status and Management ABBERVIATION AND ACRONYMS ADB Asian Development Bank ACTMANG Action for Mangroves BCS Balochistan Conservation Strategy CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CBO Community based organization. COP 7 The 7thConference of Parties of CBD CMPAs Coastal Marine Protected Areas CEMP Coastal Environmental Management Plan CNPPA Commission on National Park and Protected Areas (IUCN) CZMPA Coastal Zone Marine Protected Area. DGIS Directorate-General for International Cooperation EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EIA Environmental Impact Assessment ENSO El Nino / Southern Oscilation E&UAD Environment and Urban Affairs Division. ESCAP Economic and Social Commission on Asia and Pacific GDP Gross Domestic Product GEF Global Environment Facility GoS Government of Sindh ha Hectare ICM Integrated coastal management IPD Irrigation and Power department IP1 Indo Pacific Marine Region1 ISME International Society for Mangrove Ecosystem IUCN The world Conservation Union Kg Kilogram MAF Million Acre Feet MCPA Marine Coastal Protected Area. mm Millimeter - vii Mangrove of Pakistan – Status and Management mm/yr Millimeter per year m.t Metric ton NGO Non Governmental Organization NIO National Institute of Oceanography NWCS National Wetlands Conservation Strategy NWFP North Western Frontier Province NW-SE North West- South East PA’s Protected areas PEPC Pakistan Environmental Protection Council PEPA Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency Ppt Parts per thousand PQA Port Qasim Authority SFD Sindh Forest department SUPARCO Space and Upper Atmospheric Research Commission TEDs Turtle Exclusion Device UNDP United Nations Development Program UNEP United Nations Environment Program UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development WWF World Wide Fund for Nature - viii Mangrove of Pakistan – Status and Management Acknowledgements IUCN Pakistan would like to thank Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Canadian International development Agency (CIDA), Royal Netherlands Embassy (RNE) for their support through the funding of this study. IUCNP is indebted to SUPARCO for providing SPOT imageries of Pakistan and their digital interpretation. IUCNP would also like to thank those who have made constructive criticisms and suggestions particularly Vidhishia Samarasakara (ADB) Shamsul Haq Memon (GoS) Mehrunnisa Siddiqui and Ali Raza. All their comments, suggestions and criticism have been taken into account, but the opinions expressed are off course our own, except when we quote from others, and errors and omissions are our responsibility. Our special thanks to Lincoln and Charamine Fernandes for help in editing and typing. - ix Mangrove of Pakistan – Status and Management Preface One of the major goals of the ADB Regional Environmental Technical Assistance project on ’Coastal and Marine Resources Management and Poverty Reduction in South Asia’ is the sustainable management of regional environmentally sensitive coastal and marine ecosystems that are under heavy pressure due to the high rates of population growth in the South Asian region. ICZM has been identified as an appropriate mechanism for improved management and one that can yield the most positive outcomes to fulfil the objectives of the project. Over 600,000 hectares of Pakistan’s coastline is under mangrove forestation. The coastal communities as well as the fisheries of the coast are dependent on this ecosystem, their very existence entwined with its well being. However, despite being one of the most extensive mangrove forests in the world and having considerable importance for the national economy due to their role in fisheries, their significance in terms of ecological and economic value have remained undocumented and poorly understood. Mangroves historically have been considered to be wastelands. The vital flow of the Indus River into the Indus Delta, which constitutes one of the most extensive mangrove areas along the Pakistani coast, is heavily polluted by a variety of industrial effluents, sewage, solid waste and nutrient-enriched irrigation water. The area is also affected by increased salinity due to upstream irrigation. The mounting pressure of the rapidly increasing population has led to the clearing of mangrove areas for industrial and agricultural purposes as well as for urban expansion, undermining the livelihoods of the coastal communities and thereby exacerbating their poverty. Management through sustainable use of mangrove resources, their protection and conservation is a key priority for Pakistan. Understanding the mangrove ecosystems is imperative to improved management in order to derive optimum economic and environmental benefits without destroying this valuable ecosystem.