WWF - Conservation and environmental news & publications: Pakistan

Endangered snow leopard habitat threatened by climate change, WWF study shows

2012-07-16

Washington DC – A new study shows that climate change presents a heightened threat for snow leopards in the Himalaya Mountains, according to conservation group World Wildlife Fund.

The study, carried out by WWF scientists and published in the June, 2012 issue of Biological Conservation, shows that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase steadily, 30 percent of snow leopard habitat in the Himalayas may be lost to treeline shift.

Snow leopards, an endangered species with a remaining population roughly estimated to be between 4,000 and 6,500 individuals, are sparsely distributed in the mountains of northern and central Asia, including part of the Himalaya Mountains. In the Himalayas, snow leopards live in high alpine areas, above the treeline and generally below 5,000 meters, where they are able to stealthily track their prey.

According to the study, warmer and wetter conditions in the Himalayas will likely result in forests ascending into alpine areas, the snow leopards' preferred habitat.

"We know that snow leopards rarely venture into forested areas, and there's a limit to how high these animals can ascend. If the treeline shifts upward, as our research predicts it will, we're looking at the snow leopard faced with diminishing options for where it can live," said Jessica Forrest, a WWF scientist and one the study's authors.

The study used both computer modeling and on-the-ground tracking efforts in high elevation areas, and modeled the impacts of various warming scenarios on the Himalayan portion of the snow leopard range. Warming at high elevations in the Himalayas is occurring at rates higher than the global average.

The researchers first used field-based data and environmental information such as land cover, terrain ruggedness, and elevation to map current snow leopard habitat. They then used statistical methods to look at the potential impact of climate change on the Himalayan treeline under three greenhouse gas emissions scenarios available from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC projects temperatures in the region to increase by 3-4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, accompanied by an increase in annual precipitation.

Researchers identified areas that are likely to remain resilient to the effects of climate change, and would thus provide habitat to snow leopards under future climate conditions. Many of these areas span national boundaries, emphasizing the need for transboundary cooperation to protect this rare species.

Researchers also emphasized the need to minimize pervasive threats like illegal hunting, human-wildlife conflict, and overgrazing of livestock in snow leopard habitat. Minimizing these concurrent threats will help snow leopards better deal with the additional stress of losing habitat to climate change.

"Loss of alpine habitat not only means less room for snow leopards, but also has the potential to bring them closer to human activities like livestock grazing. As grazing intensifies and the leopards' natural prey decline, they could begin preying more heavily on livestock, resulting in increased retaliatory killings," said WWF snow leopard expert and study co-author Dr. Rinjan Shrestha.

As part of their findings, researchers also recommended monitoring the impacts of climate change as they evolve, and adapting management strategies accordingly.

For more information contact
Lee Poston, Director, Media Relations, Phone: +1 202 495 4536, Mobile: +1 202 299 6442, lee.poston@wwfus.org

Better cotton hits the market

2011-02-28

Four years after WWF first demonstrated how to cultivate cotton using less water and fewer harmful chemicals, the first "Better Cotton" has been produced in India and Pakistan.

More than 90% of the water taken from the Indus river in Pakistan and the Godavari in India is used to irrigate crops – particularly those considered "thirsty," such as cotton. Agriculture is the main source of income for rural communities, but it's also the main user of water. What's more, cultivation of cotton is responsible for half the pesticide use in India. In Pakistan the figure is around 75%.

The result is contaminated water and reduced water levels, which are harming people and wildlife living along these rivers. For example, pollution and fragmentation of the Indus River has caused numbers of the endangered Indus river dolphin to plummet to just 1,600.

In 2006, in collaboration with IKEA, and with support from the European Commission from 2007, WWF set out to help create solutions to these problems. By working with businesses, governments, farmers and others, we helped develop practices that would enable cotton farmers to use lower volumes of water, synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers – while increasing their yield and gross margins.

The practices are not high-tech. For instance, we suggested irrigating alternate furrows, rather than flooding entire crop fields. We encouraged farmers to water only when their plants really needed it – and came up with tips to identify when this was. And we promoted the use of natural materials rather than chemicals to fertilize their land. We also taught them to distinguish between pests on their crops and insects that are beneficial, and to use organic pest control.

It was tough to convince some farmers at first, which is why we ran farmer field schools and established demonstration plots, so the farmers could see the results for themselves. "It's really inspiring to see how enthusiastically farmers have embraced these changes," says Becci May, South Asia Freshwater Programme Manager with WWF-UK. "So many farmers are adopting these techniques, it's becoming more difficult to find 'control' plots to measure performance against."

The results speak for themselves. For example, in 2009, around 25,000 cotton farmers in Pakistan were using these practices on 100,000 hectares. These farmers have reduced their use of water by 39%, pesticides by 47% and chemical fertilizer by 40% on average. And their income has increased by 11% – largely thanks to a reduction in the amount they spend on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. In 2010, in India and Pakistan, WWF was working with almost 50,000 farmers.

In 2010, the first cotton produced in Pakistan and India that meets the criteria of the Better Cotton Initiative hit the market.

This means partners who've supported our work, including IKEA and Marks & Spencer, can begin to meet their commitments to source cotton that they know has a lower impact on the environment, people and wildlife. Their demand will ensure a market for the farmers who are making these positive changes.

Rescue and relief the current priority for WWF-Pakistan

2010-08-27

Lahore, Pakistan - Rescue and relief is the current priority for WWF-Pakistan in the numerous communities it works with in the flood ravaged Indus basin.

"We know the floods have caused enormous environmental damage and that reconstruction will take a long time. But the need at this time is to help families cope with the immediate aftermath and try to manage the risk of disease," said Ali Hasan Habib, Director General of WWF-Pakistan.

WWF-Pakistan has spent three years working with 11 impoverished communities dependent on the wetland ecosystem in the vicinity of the Taunsa barrage and Kot Addu, a city of 8 million in southern Punjab.

"As the flood waters in the main stem of the Indus began to peak in early August, it became clear that a life-threatening situation was developing quite rapidly," said Richard Garstang, former National Programme Manager of the Pakistan Wetlands Programme (PWP). "Military and other government personnel were present, but thinly spread. They couldn't reach everyone in need.

"We mobilised PWP and local resources into a team equipped with eight motor boats to rescue 1,387 stranded people from riverbank and island villages. We relied heavily on our good working relationship with local Wetlands Conservation Committees. Fortunately, village elders were able to persuade community members to leave their properties in the face of the flood, and seek safety.

"Once the community members were safe, the PWP team delivered 15,000 doses of anti-malarial and anti-histamine drugs to five temporary medical centres that had been set up with support of the Punjab Department of Health and a local organization, Saiban Welfare Foundation.

"Then the team turned attention to providing fodder to stranded livestock on the islands – an initiative that will continue until the situation stabilises and the villagers are able to return safely to what is left of their homes."

Other impacts are already anticipated. Rare river dolphins are being affected by the deluge. All barrages and canal gates in the Indus' extensive irrigation system have been opened, allowing large volumes of water into areas that normally receive only low flow. While it is difficult to predict the consequences for Indus river dolphins, it is likely that populations will move outside their normal territory. This could pose major problems when water levels fall and the dolphins find themselves in areas where there is not sufficient water. WWF expects that when the floods recede there will be an increase in the number of strandings in irrigation canals and is preparing to deal with numerous rescues.

In several areas, WWF-Pakistan has managed a long-running project to improve water efficiency in production of cotton, the country's main agricultural export.

In WWF's Rahim Yar Khan office, to the east of the flooded river in central Pakistan, cotton project officer Muhammad Abu Baker said the continuous and heavy rain meant that "fungal diseases on the cotton crop have increased, as have sucking pest attacks".

"There is water lying three to four inches deep in every cotton field," he added. "Farmers try to pump it into the neighbouring sugar or rice fields, but the next day it starts all over again.

"The crop has already been damaged and there will be a bad decrease in cotton production this year."

WWF celebrates saving of Himalayan forest and not so Common Leopard

2009-08-21

Lahore, Pakistan: An initiative by Pakistan's Supreme Court and a media and legal campaign has ended a proposed large tourism development in one of the best remaining representative areas of Himalayan forest in the Punjab.

Pakistan's Supreme Court this month not only formalised the new government's recent dissolution of the New Murree Development Project (NMDP), but ruled out any similar projects for the area in future.

"We are very happy with this outcome and want to thank the other groups that fought it with us and the judges who took the initiative to have it examined," said Hammad Naqi Khan, WWF-Pakistan director for freshwater, climate and toxics.

"This project has been a threat to this relatively pristine area which has been a reserve for more than a century and to the water reservoirs supplying Islamabad and Rawalpindi since 2004."

The new Punjab government dissolved the New Murree Development Authority in June, following Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry used his authority in September 2005 to halt the project pending a judicial review of the proposal to turn the 1,663 hectare Patriata Reserved Forest near Murree in Rawalpindi District into a 'tourist city of international standards'..

WWF became a party to the case and, with other local individuals launched a well-supported media and public campaign against the government-backed proposal and the authority formed to carry out the development.

The envisioned the construction of hotels, restaurants, golf courses, shopping centres etc. right in the middle of a healthy reserve forest which is important habitat for the (now very uncommon in the area) Common Leopard as well as 14 other mammal species, 200 plant species, 146 bird species including rare pheasants and the Paradise Flycatcher, .22 reptiles and six amphibians.

"Most significantly however, this area was a key part of one of the best remaining Himalayan temperate forest areas in Punjab" said Khan. "The forest guaranteed better quality water with lower levels of sediments and pollutants for Simlay and Mangla reservoirs.

"The environmental and economic significance of the forests for a country like Pakistan with a looming water crisis and an agriculture intensive developing economy far outweighed the benefits of what started out as mostly real estate speculation.

"We are also encouraged that the court and ultimately government looked sensitively and sensibly at the issues."

WWF rewards Pakistan for tree planting world record

2009-07-16

Lahore, Pakistan - Pakistan set the Guinness World Record for tree planting, beating India in a healthy and productive international competition contributing to preserving fragile and endangered forests.

With 541,176 young mangroves trees planted by 300 volunteers from the local fishermen communities just in one day, the country broke the previous 447,874 record held by historical rival India.

In response to the achievement WWF awarded Pakistan's Environment Minister Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi the Leaders of the Planet title, an award recognizing individuals making a significant personal contribution to the conservation of the natural world and sustainable development.

"This is a wonderful example of partnership between government, local communities and the private sector for a common cause, for conservation,"said Richard Garstang, the head of WWF Pakistan Wetlands Programme.

"It is good to see a productive competition between Pakistan and India. We hope that tree planting competitions will become as popular as cricket matches,"he said.

The mangrove tree planting event was held in the vast wetland ecosystem of the Indus River Delta in the Southern Sindh Province, some 150 km south east from Karachi - a unique sanctuary of biodiversity designated in 2002 by the Government of Pakistan as a Ramsar Site (Wetland of International Importance), with support from WWF International Freshwater Programme.

Covered in mud and sweating, the 300 volunteers who have been trained to plant record numbers without using any mechanical equipment, worked all day in a temperature of up to 37° before breaking the score.
Their efforts were also a special contribution to the global fight against climate change.

Scientists say deforestation contributes to about 20 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions and that reducing deforestation is one of the quickest ways to fight rising temperatures. Forested Wetlands such as mangroves, flooded forests and many peatlands play a crucial role in this respect.

"Mangrove reestablishment strongly correlates with climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and improving community livelihoods," said Anada Tiega, Secretary General of Secretary General of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

A planting interval of just over 2 m was used in order to give the young Red Mangroves plenty of room to spread their canopies as they grow. Planting was confined to the mudflats of the inter-tidal zone - the area between the high and low tide marks. The trees are expected occupy approximately 325 ha of the island.

Mangroves are being cut in Pakistan and other countries for fodder, fuel and timber but their over- utilization has very damaging consequences. Apart from their crucial role in providing habitat for many organisms including fish, shrimps, lobsters, oysters and algae, mangroves also protect the coast from erosion, as well as hurricanes and tsunamis.

UK citizens using 58 baths of water a day

2008-08-20

While each person in the UK drinks, hoses, flushes and washes their way through around 150 litres of mains water a day, they consume about 30 times as much in "virtual" water embedded in food, clothes and other items – the equivalent of about 58 bathtubs full of water every day.

Launching the report, UK Water Footprint: the impact of the UK's food and fibre consumption on global water resources, at World Water Week in Stockholm today, Stuart Orr, WWF-UK's water footprint expert, said the UK was the sixth largest importer of water in the world.

"Only 38 per cent of the UK's total water use comes from its own rivers, lakes and groundwater reserves," he said. "The rest is taken from water bodies in many countries across the world to irrigate and process food and fibre crops that people in Britain subsequently consume

"What's particularly worrying is that huge amounts of these products are grown in drier areas of the world where water resources are either already stressed or very likely to become so in the near future."

Just one tomato from Morocco takes 13 litres of water to grow while the various ingredients in a cup of coffee collectively use 140 litres. A shirt made from cotton grown in Pakistan or Uzbekistan cotton – and possibly irrigated by water from the Indus river or the rivers that feed the Aral Sea in central Asia – soaks up 2,700 litres of water.

Cotton producing Pakistan has recently experienced its lowest water availability on record and the Indus river often runs dry before it reaches the sea. This affects the communities and critical habitats in the Indus delta as well as endangered species such as the Indus river dolphin. Over abstraction from the rivers that flow into the Aral Sea for the irrigation of cotton fields has led to the loss of 60% of its area and 80% of its volume in the last 40 years.

Closer to home, Spanish oranges and grapes come from a country where, earlier this year, drinking water has been shipped in from France due to acute shortages.

"Most people aren't even aware that it takes massive amounts of water to grow the food and fibres we consume on top of what is used for drinking and washing and watering the lawn," Mr Orr said.

"Therefore, it is essential that business and government identify the areas that could potentially suffer water crises and develop solutions so the environment is not overexploited to the point that people and wildlife lose out."

WWF is encouraging some of the UK's largest companies, such as Marks and Spencer, to evaluate their water footprints. A water footprint assesses the amount of water a business uses both directly from the tap and virtually through its supply chain. It includes water taken from both UK rivers and aquifers and those in other countries where crops are grown and processed.

WWF also asks companies to promote sustainable water use in areas where water is scarce.

"The private sector has a very important role to play. It can engage with governments and communities along its supply chain to support better water management," Mr Orr said. "In order to reduce risk, businesses need to do their utmost to encourage more efficient and effective water use in water stressed areas where they operate."

In India and Pakistan, WWF is working with farmers who grow thirsty crops such as cotton, rice and sugar cane to explore ways in which farmers can use less water to grow more crops. In one sugar cane trial, agricultural water use has dropped by 40 per cent while yields have risen by a third.

"This is not just an issue for food and clothing companies, producers and retailers. Insurers and investors have a vested interest in encouraging efficiency of water use and security of water supply in an ever thirstier world. Water is irreplaceable and climate change and population growth are only going to exacerbate the problem," said Mr Orr.

He added: "There's an important role for the public here. As a consumer you can ask businesses, including your local supermarkets, to tell you what they are doing to ensure good water management along their supply chains. As a citizen you can urge your government to make good water management a priority both in this country and overseas. But if we do nothing to alleviate the acute pressures on water resources at home and abroad then our inaction could have far reaching consequences for people and habitats."

Notes:

A copy of the report is available from http://www.wwf.org.uk/freshwater
To find out more about your own water consumption visit: http://www.waterfootprint.org/

For further information, please contact:

Phil Dickie tel +41 797031952, email: pdickie@wwfint.org
Robin Clegg, tel: +44 7771 818 707, rclegg@wwf.org.uk

Once upon a time in Hunza Valley

2008-05-14

By Ali Gohar Hunzai.

I am a resident of Hunza Valley, situated in the north of Pakistan. A few days ago, I was thinking about the changes that had occurred in my valley since I was a child. I was quite shocked to know that while we enjoy modern facilities today, we have lost many things which were part of the natural environment of these areas and are now irreversibly lost. I would like to share the changes I have observed in three decades in Hunza Valley and the Karakoram areas where I was raised.

I remember when I was a school going child in mid-seventies. The winters used to be severe. Everything froze, the land, water in the streams, even the water stored inside homes. Running water in the streams froze and it made at least four inch layer of ice. There were no pipes to supply water to homes so the women of the area collected water from the nearest stream. In the morning a man used to break the layer of ice and make a hole to pass a bucket into the stream. Then the whole day the women would collect water from the same spot and the following night again it froze and this cycle continued up to mid-February.

In the month of February the weather would change a little bit. People would start ploughing the fields. On some days the land would be frozen and the farmers could not plough the fields. At that time cash crops were not introduced in Hunza Valley, so each household was dependant on subsistence farming of wheat, barley, buckwheat maize and potatoes.

People had strange traditions at that time. No farmer would plant any kind of trees on his farm. The logic was that the shade of the tree would disturb the growth process of the crop. After the harvest the whole village remained open and barren. Someone would grow spinach, carrots or other vegetables just to store for winters; usually people were dependent on potatoes and dried meat stored in the month of December.

I remember in the months of February and March hundreds of crows, some with red beaks and others with yellow would migrate along with hundreds of wild pigeons. All these birds would remain in Hunza for some weeks then migrate again to unknown destinations. Similarly in the months from June to August we could observe quails and birds hovering above the wheat crop.

After the construction of Karakoram Highway (1966-1978) a great socio-economics change took place in the Hunza valley and over all Karakoram areas. People started importing wheat and other needed items form the south. They become fewer dependants on subsistence farming of wheat.

In 1982 Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) was initiated in these areas. It gave the idea of cash crop. Initially the idea of cash crop seemed to be ridiculous to the people. It was a deviation from the customs of the area. Many people argued that fruit is not the substitute of bread. The plantation also raised issues and disputes among and between the neighbours but with the passage of time these things settled down. Not more than 5 years had passed when people had the results. The fruit gave a better financial return than wheat. It became a trend to plant fruit trees and grow potatoes. Within less than a decade the wheat crop came to a minimum in the region.

When I look back at Hunza of mid-seventies I see that a revolutionary change has taken place. The farms are now completely covered with fruit plants and there is abundant fruit to sell in the market and even to eat round the year for households. We have basic facilities of hospitals, roads, better schools, electricity, tourism and the Internet.

I feel that the fragile ecosystems of these areas have been greatly affected due to many reasons. I wonder if this is only a case with Hunza or there are similar cases in other parts of the mountainous areas. If there are, then how can we play our role for sustainable development of the mountainous areas of Karakoram, Himalayas and Hindukush?

What we have lost in this period of time is irreversible. We experience less snowfall compared to the seventies and earlier. The winters are less severe; now the streams do not freeze and young ones cannot enjoy skating and also waterfalls do not make icicles that we used to play games with. I loved seeing birds hovering over the fields. We have lost quails, pigeons, crows and wolves in winters, we have lost bald eagles that always hovered over the area spreading whitish brown wings and we have lost rabbits and vultures in the meadow. People had myths about the bald eagles. My grand mother connected the movement of these birds with the ruling family of Hunza and declared the presence of these birds a good omen.

Moreover, Ultar Glacier, the main source of water for central Hunza has retreated about one and a half kilometre below the point where it was in the seventies and early eighties. There is much more human activity in the Ultar meadows and its biodiversity is the victim of hunting, over grazing constructions due to tourism activities.

13 river, 5 nation river dolphin census to help conservation on two continents

2008-03-10

Santiago de Cali, Colombia: A milestone in the protection of the world's engangered river dolphins has been achieved with the successful completion of an ambitious 13 river, five nation census survey of South America's river dolphins.

The census, which took two years and recorded 3188 pink and gray dolphins in 3.600 km of rivers in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, was key to development of a standard methodology for assessing river dolphin populations and the threats they face.

"This census gives us a baseline population for these species and gives us an insight into the state of the ecosystems they inhabit," said Fernando Trujillo PhD, the project's scientific leader.

Trujillo, Scientific Director of the Omacha Foundation and winner of the Whitley Award last year for his work with river dolphins, said "These results also provide the foundation for designing an evaluation and monitoring program for South American river dolphins."

During the seven expeditions involved in the survey, training in the new methods was given to 18 professionals. The new methodology has also been certified by whale experts from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

"Although the situation for river dolphins in South America is not the same as for dolphins in Cambodia, for instance, both have areas where we need to raise the alarm against threats like pollution, indiscriminate hunting and the development of infrastructure megaprojects," Trujillo said.

The survey was also notable as a highly successful exercise in co-operation. The census was financed by WWF Switzerland and WWF LAC's Freshwater Program. Scientific leadership from the Omacha Foundation included WWF (Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil), WCS (The Wildlife Conservation Society, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil), WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society), La Salle Foundation (Venezuela) and Faunagua (Bolivia). The statistical reliability of the research was certified by the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) Distance Program, through Fernanda Márquez (co-author of the Distance Program and Director of WCS Brazil).

The survey also involved the co-operation of wildlife and other officials from Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Colombia.

"This first river dolphin census has been an experience in networking, which, besides giving scientific results, has opened doors to consolidate WWF's work around the world for these charismatic species," said Saulo Usma, WWF Colombia's Freshwater Coordinator. "In April this year, we will meet in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia, with experts from various organizations to consolidate a South American river dolphin conservation strategy, which will be published as a IUCN Occasional Paper, and adapted to each country's national action plan."

Two initial projects are likely to emerge from this meeting. One is a campaign to reduce dolphin poisoning in Caballo Cocha (Lake) in Peru, where fishermen have been injecting agricultural chemicals into fish in attempts to reduce dolphin damage to catches and nets.

Some 25-30 dolphins have been discovered dead by poisoning in the lake in the last year. Fundacion Omacha is working to monitor the situation. Possible ways of reducing fisher-dolphin conflict include increasing dolphin-related tourism income and of assisting fishers to fillet, pack and freeze fish, allowing them to receive better returns than from whole, fresh and sometimes dolphin-damaged fish.

Also contemplated is a plan to reduce unsustainable fishing for mota (catfish) using dolphin as bait on the Colombia-Brazil-Peru triple border. Mota fishing has increased markedly as fishers explore the possibility of marketing it as the more desirable but rare from overfishing Bagre catfish.

Unfortunately for Amazon River dolphins however, Mota are scavengers and dolphins represent the largest available easily caught bait fish. Fundacion Omacha and WWF are working in Brazil and Colombia not just on educating fishers but perhaps more effectively seeking to inform consumers and the retail chain on the switching of fish and its consequences for dolphin populations.

WWF radio collars elusive snow leopard in Pakistan

2006-11-23

Chitral, Pakistan – Scientists captured a female snow leopard in Chitral Gol National Park in northern Pakistan on 17 November 2006, fitting her with a GPS-satellite collar.

In a first of its kind study, the 35kg animal will provide researchers with an unprecedented amount of data on snow leopard movements and habitat use. The GPS will help calculate the cat's exact position several times each day.

The morning after the capture, the signal from the leopard's collar indicated that she had already traveled a substantial distance overnight. The collar was also successful in making several GPS locations during that period, which showed the technology is working as planned.

Part of a protected areas management project, the snow leopard study is being carried out by the International Snow Leopard Trust, the NWFP Wildlife Department and WWF, with support from UNDP-GEF.

The female snow leopard was captured high on Pakistan's Purdum Mali ridge (which means cave of the snow leopard in Chitrali). This is the same ridge where Dr George Schaller took his first picture of a wild snow leopard some 30 years ago.

Scientists named the snow leopard Bayad-e-Kohsaar (which in Urdu means "In Memory of Mountains") to honour conservationists who recently lost their lives in a tragic helicopter accident in Nepal.

"The snow leopard is a magnificent predator and flagship species for the spectacular mountain ranges of Asia, including the Himalayas, Karakorams, Hindu Kush, Pamirs, Tien Shans, and Altai ranges," said Amjad Aslam, Head of Communications at WWF-Pakistan.

"Yet the snow leopard faces pressures that are bringing this species closer to extinction and populations of the cat are in decline in many parts of its range."

Scientists plan to tag up to five more cats with radio collars over the next several months.

For further information:
Amjad Aslam, WWF - Pakistan
Tel: +92 42 5862360|
E-mail: aaslam@wwf.org.pk

Factsheet: River Dolphins

2006-03-08

River dolphins and porpoises swim in some of the world's mightiest rivers, including the Ganges, Indus, Yangtze, Mekong, and Amazon.

But these river basins are also home to over 15 per cent of our planet's people and include some of the most densely populated, and poorest, areas on Earth.

Dam-building, entanglement in fishing nets, boat traffic, and pollution have led to drastic declines in dolphin populations over the last several decades. Several Asian species are now amongst the most endangered of all cetaceans. Urgent action is needed to prevent these charismatic animals, about which we still know very little, from becoming extinct.

River dolphins and porpoises are 'flagship' species for their habitats - charismatic representatives of the biodiversity within the complex ecosystems they inhabit. Efforts to safeguard these cetaceans will not only help save many other species, but will directly contribute to human development and survival by ensuring the availability of adequate and clean freshwater.

In 2005, WWF launched a new River Dolphin Initiative. With 40 years of experience in cetacean conservation, WWF is working with governments, other non-governmental organizations, industry, fishermen, and local communities to reduce or eliminate the threats to River dolphins and porpoises.

Asia Pacific Ecoregion Big Wins Update

2005-03-11

Living Documents Pakistan - DGIS WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio

2004-05-23

Saving Pakistan's Green Gold. Conservation and Development in the Coastal Forest Areas. (published May 2004)

WWF-Pakistan becomes ISO 14001 certified

2004-01-12

Lahore, Pakistan - The head office of WWF-Pakistan in Lahore has been certified to the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management by SGS International. Part of WWF's mission is to reduce pollution and wasteful consumption of natural resources. The certification puts WWF's aims into practise by helping to create a culture in which employees are encouraged to seek ways of minimizing the impact of their office on the environment.

"This approach will lead to considerable and continuous improvement in both economic and environmental performance through reduced waste, improved understanding of procedures and decreased costs," says Hammad Naqi Khan, Director of WWF-Pakistan.

WWF-Pakistan's "Greening the Head Office Initiative" started in March 2003, when staff were given an introduction to Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and the ISO 14001 certification process. An EMS team was established, which developed programmes for reduction of solid waste; minimization of paper usage; monitoring of emissions and noise from vehicles and generators; elimination of fire hazards; and efficient energy consumption at the head office. An Environmental Policy was developed in consultation with top management, and will be followed by the head office as well as WWF-Pakistan's six regional offices.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer of standards for products and services. SGS International, the main ISO certification company worldwide, carried out external party audits before recommending the WWF-Pakistan head office in Lahore for ISO 14001 certification. Like all other certified companies and organizations, WWF-Pakistan will be audited every six months by SGS International. WWF-Pakistan becomes the second WWF office to be ISO 14001 certified, after WWF-Switzerland. The certification is for a period of three years, with effect from 19 December 2003 until 18 November 2006.

For further information:
Hania Aslam
Environmental Officer, WWF-Pakistan
Tel: +92 42 5862360
E-mail: epu@wwf.org.pk

Pakistan protects precious wetlands

2003-05-05

The news on 2 February 2003 (World Wetlands Day) that Pakistan had identified three major wetlands for protection has been followed by official designation of the sites under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. Totaling over 1 million hectares, the sites are all wildlife sanctuaries and all in Sindh Province. They are the Deh Akro-II Desert Wetland Complex, the Indus Delta — 5th largest delta system in the world and home to the 7th largest mangrove forest system — and the Rann of Kutch, part of the great Thar desert. Pakistan now has 19 Ramsar sites covering 1,343,627 hectares. For further information:Lisa HadeedWWF Living Waters ProgrammeE-mail: lhadeed@wwfint.orgDisclaimerGeographical designations do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WWF concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Desert wetlands

2003-02-06

At this time of year, it's hard to believe that the Rann of Kutch has wetlands of international importance.

Spanning the border of India and Pakistan on the Arabian Sea, the Rann of Kutch has been described as 'a desolate area of unrelieved, sun-baked saline clay desert, shimmering with ... a perpetual mirage'. Indeed, Rann itself means 'salty desert'. But between May and October it's a different place altogether.

The salt flats are flooded with run off from monsoon rains together with sea water driven by high winds and tides from the Arabian Sea, transforming them to marshes teeming with wildlife. The marshes support over 200 species of birds, including one of the world's largest breeding colonies of greater and lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber and P. minor), the threatened lesser florican (Sypheotides indica), cranes, storks, and two endangered bustards, the great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) and houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata).

As well as the seasonal marshes, the area's coastal wetlands — estuaries, brackish lagoons, tidal mudflats, and permanent saline marshes — support over 40,000 wintering and resident water birds and waders. These include ducks, pelicans, egrets, herons, plovers, and sandpipers.

The coastal wetlands are also an important source of shrimp farming for hundreds of communities living in the area. Despite the inhospitable conditions for most of the year, the Rann of Kutch is also home to many large mammals. These include the last population of the endangered Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus khur) as well as locally endangered species such as striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) desert cat (Felis lybica), caracal (Felis caracal), honey badger (Mellivora capensis), chinkara (Gazella bennettii), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), and wolf (Canis lupus).

The desert is also home to a variety of reptiles, including the endangered Indian monitor (Varanus bengalensis), Indian sand boa (Erys johni), and saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus).

During the wet season, animals shelter in the few areas of higher ground. These sandy, salt-free regions are known as bets, and also provide a place for plants to grow, including the region's only large trees.

The Rann of Kutch has been shaped by a variety of geological processes. Once part of the Arabian Sea, geological uplift closed off the connection and created a vast freshwater lake that was still navigable during the time of Alexander the Great, 2,350 years ago. Over the centuries, silting created the vast mudflat that is now only flooded during the brief wet season.Earthquakes too have played a key role. In 1819, a devastating earthquake that wiped out villages and threw up a 90km-long ridge popularly known as the Allah Bund ("wall of God") also altered the course of the Sindhu River, leaving the Rann of Kutch without a freshwater supply.

A massive earthquake 800 years before this is also thought to have altered the landscape. The region is still frequently rocked by earthquakes, with the last big one in January 2001 destroying towns and killing more than 30,000 people.While only sparsely inhabited today, the Rann of Kutch has a firm place in human history, both modern and prehistoric. Genetic scientist Spencer Wells believes that the first migration of early man from Africa to Australia 60,000 years ago occurred in three stages: the first to the Middle East, the next to the Kutch region, and the third on to Australia. Those who stayed in the Kutch might have become part of a great civilization that predates the Mesopotamians.By 2600 BC, the Rann of Kutch was part of the Indus Valley, or Harappan, civilization, which controlled a vast area of some 650,000 square kilometres — twice as large as that controlled by Mesopotamia and Egypt at the same time. A major town from this time, Dholavira, which once controlled trade through the area, has been excavated in the Rann of Kutch.

These days, 18 different tribes live in the region, each with its own language and culture. Cut by the India–Pakistan border, the Rann of Kutch has not always been peaceful. But the wetlands hold the prospect for future cooperation. Last year, India and Pakistan committed to designate over 1.6 million hectares of the Rann of Kutch as Ramsar sites — wetlands of international importance. These commitments raise the hope that in the future, the two neighbours will work together to protect and manage one of the most biologically important wetlands in Asia. And further protection for the area is vital. Although part of the wetlands on the Indian side are already protected, the fragile ecosystem is under threat from cattle grazing, vehicular traffic, and cutting trees to make charcoal, even within the protected areas. There are also proposals to expand commercial salt extraction, which could adversely affect the wild ass population as well as the region's threatened bird species.

"The Rann of Kutch is unique," says Rahat Jabeen, Wetlands Conservation Officer at WWF Pakistan. "Not only are there are many different types of wetland habitats, but there are also desert habitats. The area supports many locally endangered and globally threatened species, and is essential for maintaining biodiversity."Archana Chatterjee, Wetland Habitats Coordinator at WWF-India, echoes this. "The Rann of Kutch is a critically important refuge for the Indian wild ass and is an important staging area for migratory waterfowl, including the Asian population of the lesser flamingo. In addition, large numbers of birds remain throughout the winter."The designation of Ramsar sites within the Rann of Kutch will help protect these unique wetlands, and the wildlife and people that depend on them. And, by committing to designations in a transboundary wetland, both India and Pakistan are also pledging to coordinate with each other to look after a shared natural area — a new era in the history of the Rann of Kutch.

*Lisa Hadeed is Communications Officer for WWF International's Living Waters Programme.

Further information: Rann of Kutch
Also known as Kuchchh, the Rann of Kutch stretches for over 2 million hectares across the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat and southern Pakistan's Sindh province. Two major areas are recognised, the Great Rann (700,000 hectares in India and 770,000 hectares in Pakistan) and the Little Rann (495,300 hectares). The vast saline plain of the Great Rann stretches eastwards from the eastern edge of the Indus delta in Pakistan, bounded to the west by the Arabian Sea, to the south by the Peninsula of Kuchchh, and to the north and east by the Great Thar Desert. The India–Pakistan border passes through the northern edge of the Great Rann. In the southeast, the Great Rann links by a narrow channel to the Little Rann which, in turn, is linked with Gulf of Khambhat through a marshy depression.

WWF's work in the Rann of Kutch
The Rann of Kutch is one of WWF's Global 200 ecoregions — a science-based global ranking of the world's most biologically outstanding habitats and the regions on which WWF concentrates its efforts. In addition to working on the Ramsar site designations, WWF has a number of projects in the area. In Pakistan, for example, WWF is working in collaboration with the Sindh Wildlife Department to conduct a regular census of birds in the Lower Sindh, which includes the Rann of Kutch, to survey the wetlands, and to protect the habitat of the sarus crane in the Nagarparker area. In addition, the Rann of Kutch is one site where WWF-Pakistan is working to implement a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded project on conservation of Protected Areas through community-based management.

Ramsar listings
India has pledged to designate 1.1 million hectares of the Rann of Kutch wetland as a Ramsar site, and Pakistan has designated 566,375 hectares. Designation of shared wetlands or transboundary wetlands is a priority issue for the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Ramsar Convention on WetlandsSigned in 1971 in the city of Ramsar, Iran, the Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are currently (January 2003) 135 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1,235 wetland sites, totalling 106.6 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Wetlands are defined to include rivers, lakes, swamps, and marine areas less than six metres in depth. Member countries of the treaty are obliged to do three things:• Manage all wetlands sustainably, promoting the wise use of all wetlands within their territory.• Consult with other Parties about the implementation of the Convention, especially with regard to trans-frontier wetlands, shared water systems, shared species, and development projects affecting wetlands. • Designate wetlands that meet the criteria for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance for conservation.

Disclaimer
The geographical designations given here do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WWF concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

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