Coastal Mgt Project Closing Ceremony Held

Umer Jamshaid Published November 28, 2017 | 08:00 PM

The closing ceremony of USAID funded project titled "Integrated Approach to education, capacity building and livelihood development of coastal communities in Sindh and Balochistan provinces" organized by IUCN-Pakistan held at a local hotel here

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Nov, 2017 ) :The closing ceremony of USAID funded project titled "Integrated Approach to education, capacity building and livelihood development of coastal communities in Sindh and Balochistan provinces" organized by IUCN-Pakistan held at a local hotel here.

Iffat Malik, Additional Secretary, Sindh Forest Department was the chief guest for the event, said a statement issued here on Tuesday. Addressing the ceremony, she said that the coastal areas of Pakistan are facing numerous problems that include degradation and depletion of marine resources.

These problems are being compounded by climate change which threatens livelihoods and has far-reaching economic and socio-political consequences. Referring to the Sindh Forest Department, she said that the department has played an active role in trying to address many of these issues.

Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, IUCN country representative explained that this project had focused primarily on raising community awareness on the importance of nature conservation.

A significant portion of the project's activities were dedicated to raising environmental awareness and building capacity in schools and local communities along the coastline.

Through this initiative, environmental education sessions were held in more than 60 schools, where around 5,000 students and 500 teachers benefited. The project also addressed the illegal trade in endangered species.

A study was also conducted on the illegal trade in freshwater turtles, the results of which were presented and discussed at a consultative workshop earlier this month. Abdul Munaf Qaimkhani, former Deputy Inspector General Forest at Federal level appreciated the role of IUCN in conservation of natural resources over the years.

He also appreciated the extent of community involvement in the project, and shared some anecdotes of his time working with communities in the field.