Biodiversity case studies

Pakistan: Mangrove and Forest Conservation

Shell Pakistan, in collaboration with WWF-Pakistan, has initiated a programme to conserve mangroves in the Indus Basin on the outskirts of Karachi.

The programme aims to protect the mangroves from coastal development and encourage local villagers, who depend on the plants for domestic firewood, to harvest them in a sustainable manner. Mangrove trees, with salt excreting leaves that enable them to thrive in saline conditions, provide a habitat for thousands of creatures including fish, crabs and birds. Shell has committed an initial $17,500 to support the programme that is rehabilitating 150 hectares of degraded mangroves and educating school children and the community of the trees’ ecological significance. Pakistan has some of the largest mangrove ecosystems found in arid climates. The company also recently sponsored the WWF Nature Carnival in Lahore and Islamabad that is held each year to educate school children on Pakistan’s flora and fauna and the need to conserve it. 

Another example of how Shell is contributing to Pakistan’s biodiversity is an innovative programme to reduce deforestation in the Ayubia National Park. The park is home to one of the few remaining moist temperate forests left in Pakistan, a country where forest cover is shrinking 4% a year. By introducing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as an alternative to firewood, and promoting fuel efficient stoves (FES), Shell hopes to reduce the number of trees that are cut down. By March 2004, 300 households had converted to LPG or FES in the Ayubia National Park region. Converting to LPG reduced the trees felled from three per year to one per year for each household. Ultimately, the scheme will be extended to 3,500 households in the area, where most people depend on the forest for firewood.        

Key message

• Develop a partnership with local communities and non-government organisations to ensure the proper management of the habitats and their biodiversity, and enhance their capacity for the sustainable use of natural resources.