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$11.8m Wetlands conservation project launched

ISLAMABAD - The government Monday approved the implementation of a major project to conserve wetlands of Pakistan. This endorsement paves way for Ministry of Environment to implement the $ 11.79 million initiative that is currently the largest of its kind in South Asia. The Government of Pakistan was represented at the signing ceremony by Secretary Economic Affairs Division Shuja Shah, and Secretary Ministry of Environment Javed Hasan Ally. While Resident Representative Onder Yucer signed on behalf of UNDP.

The Global Environment Facility itself contributed $ 3.333 million to Pakistan Wetlands Project, which has received substantial financial support from a consortium of other national and international donors.

The largest contribution has come from the Royal Netherlands Embassy, which has committed $ 4,034,000. The Netherlands is world leaders in wetland management and annually allocates a substantial proportion of their foreign aid to global wetlands conservation and water resources management.

The United Nations Development Programme contributed a further $ 1,500,000 and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature has pledged $ 1,200,000. Promises of parallel financing totaling more than $ 2,066,000 has been received from Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund and allied agencies.

The project will be implemented under the stewardship of Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with Pakistan’s provincial and territorial wildlife conservation departments and supported by a range of other government agencies such as the National Council for the Conservation of Wildlife, the Zoological Survey Department, National Herbarium and Natural History Museum.

Programme management and technical support will be provided by WWF Pakistan, the country’s leading non-governmental conservation organisation.
The Pakistan Wetlands Project consists of two major inter-related components, first includes a suite of initiatives designed to create a national environment in Pakistan that will enable enhanced management of wetland resources.

These will incorporate extensive exploratory surveys of the country’s wetlands, the formulation of a national wetlands management strategy and a nationwide effort to enhance the capability of the government, the private sector and rural communities to conserve wetlands.

The second component will involve the design and implementation of progressive, consultative management plans for four independent demonstration sites each chosen to be representative of a broad eco-region in our country.

The four sites that were identified during the course of a series of national consultative workshops are Makran Coast Wetlands Complex stretching westwards from Basol River to Jiwani on the border of Iran, Central Indus Wetlands Complex between Taunsa Barrage in Punjab and Sukkur Barrage in Sindh, Salt Range Wetlands Complex that includes all major lakes along the escarpment from Kallar Kahar to Kalabagh and the North West Alpine Wetlands Complex that will protect fragile high altitude wetlands of NWFP.

The ceremony was attended by several other dignitaries including Tahir Iqbal, Federal Minister of Environment, Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Marcel Kurpershoek, Ambassador of The Netherlands, Brig. Mukhtar Ahmed, Vice-President Emeritus of WWF-Pakistan, Dr Bashir A. Wani, National Project Director/Inspector General of Forests, Arif Alauddin, Assistant Resident Representative UNDP, Qazi Azmat Isa, member WWF-Pakistan Board of Governors, Ali Hassan Habib, Director General of WWF-Pakistan and Richard Garstang, Project Manager/Senior Advisor on Wetlands.

The planning and development of the project was funded by Global Environment Facility through the United Nations Development Programme as part of GEF’s strategic priority for the conservation of global biodiversity.

http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/apr-2005/12/nationalnews1.php