Introduction and Context
The current Government of Pakistan, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has addressed on both the national and global stage, the two challenges of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss through the Green Stimulus programme, the Restoration Fund, the Billion Tree Tsunami programme and the Recharge Pakistan programme. They have initiated the notification of National Parks and Protected Areas and wildlife conservation. All these varied initiatives have been done within a human development and livelihoods context.
This was most recently reflected in the Prime Minister’s speech at the UN Biodiversity Summit. Pakistan currently stands tall on the world’s stage, but it must also reflect in action what it aspires to achieve and that means ensuring sustainable development of our biodiversity hot spots and key biodiversity areas (KBAs).
Such an area is Bundal Island that comes under the recently constituted Pakistan Islands Development Authority. It is important that while the economic objectives of development are met, they are done in a way that protects biodiversity, retains their role as buffers to the impact of rising seas, ensures coastal resilience and sets aside certain core zones for conservation as national parks and protected areas. This will simultaneously maintain biological and climate integrity and enhance greatly any prime property value while marketing a genuinely green healthy environment.
Click here to access the complete position paper on Bundal Island
