HYDERABAD, June 7: The government has to deal firmly in protecting and preserving forests by making policy changes wherever required. The fast depletion of forestry, particularly on account of socio-economic and other factors and non-availability of water in riverine ecosystem had left its mark on this sector.

Other reasons for decline in forests, they cited, were pressure on forests from the increasing population demand, occupational dependences and political influences.

General Secretary Mehmood Nawaz Shah of Sindh Abadgar Board said forest management was never given priority despite the fact that forests were essential part of rural life and economy because both depend on nature and natural resources.

He called for abolishing the present policy to save forests.

Conservator, Sindh Forest Department, Riaz Wagan revealed that his department was not making any contribution towards Riverine forests as these owe their existence to River Indus.

Previously, all stakeholders respected the law but no more now and a glaring example to it is the pending of some 541 cases of serious nature. These cases need serious attention, he added.

The abject poverty of area people was forcing people to indulge in cutting wood whereas the same people used to protect forests. It’s necessary for the department to join hands with the Civil Society for its preservation, he said.

General Secretary Nasir Panhwar of Friends of Indus Forum said forestry stood second to agriculture in land use and there were several natural lakes (dhands) and abandoned riverbeds (dhoras) in riverine areas serving as a source of livelihood to area people by storing water round the year.

However, the current policy instead of encouraging tree plantation was aggravating the situation by losing productivity he said adding policy continued without evaluating of its success and sustainability.

Depletion of Indus Delta mangroves by 2.3 per cent annually was converting fast the forest land into non-forest land, he said.

The country lost the GDP by six per cent because of environmental degradation while in Sindh it was 15 per cent.

Reverine forests and mangroves both were productive but unfortunately these were not being taken care of, Ghulam Qadir Shah of the IUCN said.

He suggested protecting 0.6 million acres of land through man-biosphere approach.

A veteran forester Lala Fazal Balaee said both forest and its department need to be rescued from the crisis the two were facing.

The province was pioneer in forestry in the region when in 1858 the then Commissioner Sir Bartle Freer introduced the concept to protect and preserve forests.

Vice-President of Friends of Indus Forum Ali Akbar Rahmoon said that position paper identifies strategies to conserve riverine forests and provide short and long terms recommendations at local and policy levels for improvement of current situation.