Balochistan declares Churna Island marine protected area

KARACHI: The Balochistan government won appreciation from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan after declaring Churna Island as the second marine protected area (MPA) in Pakistan on Wednesday.

The provincial cabinet approved the declaration of Churna Island as the second marine protected area in its meeting held earlier today.

Previously, the Balochistan government had declared Astola Island as the first MPA in June 2017.

Churna Island, like Astola Island, is among the limited marine areas in Pakistan that have coral habitats and are termed a biodiversity hotspot, the wildlife conservation organisation said in its statement.

However, Churna Island, located near Karachi is being extensively used for scuba diving, snorkelling, cliff jumping, and jet skiing and other recreational activities.

It is considered an important fishing ground where a large number of fishermen from Sindh and Balochistan operate.

The marine ecosystem and diverse wildlife inhabiting Churna Island are under serious threat due to many anthropogenic activities including the development of power plants, single-point mooring, an oil refinery in the immediate vicinity, as well as recreational activities that are conducted at the area.

The WWF-Pakistan believed that the declaration was an important step towards ensuring that the fragile ecosystem of the area is protected.

The organisation appreciated the efforts of the provincial government and lauded the role of Secretary Forest and Wildlife Department Dostain Jamaldini and Chief Conservator Wildlife Sharifuddin Baloch for their dedicated efforts in securing this designation.

Pakistan is a signatory of the Convention of Biological Diversity and according to its Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, states are required to declare 30% of the ocean area as a protected area by 2030 (called 30 x 30).

The declaration of Churna Island as an MPA will be an important step towards achieving this target.

Commenting on the declaration, the organisation's Biodiversity Programmes Senior Director Rab Nawaz appealed to both the federal and Sindh governments to take decisive actions to achieve the target of 30 x 30 by following the footsteps of the Government of Balochistan and declaring additional Marine Protected Areas in Pakistan.

Nawaz further said that because of poorly planned development activities and climate change, we are losing our marine resources.

"This initiative will help reverse the damage caused to marine ecosystems and would protect marine life for future generations," he added

WWF-Pakistan Technical Adviser Muhammad Moazzam Khan pointed out that Churna Island is a biodiversity hotspot known for more than 50 species of corals and 250 species of fish as well as many invertebrates and vertebrates.

The declaration will also address the challenge of biodiversity loss and help protect the threatened species reported from this area, he concluded.