Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by climate change in the world. The extreme rain that contributed to the major floods this year is an example of this. In order to arm the coastal regions against this, the country uses a natural source: mangrove forests. Protection and plantations make Pakistan one of the few countries in the world where the area of ​​coastal mangrove forest has increased in recent years. Only in the megacity of Karachi does that remain a challenge.

“We protect the forests, it’s our duty, but until everyone helps, it’s very difficult,” said Shehzad Gill of the Sindh Provincial Forest Service. “There is a lot of development in Karachi. We try to convince the responsible authorities and government agencies to cut down as few trees as possible. Because development is good, but at what cost?”

Great success

In general, the proliferation of mangrove forests has been a great success, says Gill. “We now have three times as much mangrove forest as we did 20 years ago.” He shows on a map where new forest has been planted and where this is planned for the next few years. “There has to be a lot more. We have largely got illegal logging under control. Only in 5 to 7 percent of the forest, near Karachi, is that a bit of a problem.”

On the beach near the city, you can clearly see how vulnerable Karachi is. The waves are high and high-rise buildings, offices and shops are right on the beach. “Up until the 1980s, it was all mangrove forest,” says climate journalist Aafia Salam.

From the car, she points towards the city between the sea and the road we are driving on, towards a hotel that offers a view of a mangrove forest that can be seen from the city. “Wherever there is a growing population, natural resources are under pressure,” she says.

And she explains that it’s not just tree felling that destroys the mangrove forests. Because Karachi’s natural drainage channels have largely been converted into open sewers, a lot of dirty water flows into the sea. “That also kills the trees.”

Like Gill, Salam says that only in Karachi are the mangrove forests struggling. “Once you get out of town, you definitely see them thriving,” she says. Gill explains that forest managers are working with local communities to combat illegal logging and operate the plantations. “We explain to these communities that if there were no mangrove forests, they themselves would be the first victims of a tsunami or a storm surge.”

First line of defense

Mangrove forests are also referred to as the first line of defense against climate change. They protect coastal areas from rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes. They can also store CO2 much better than other trees, which in turn can help against global warming.

Mangrove forests are nowhere to be seen from most places in Karachi. However, there is such a line of defense on the south side of the city. As we sail in Mehran Ali Shah’s fishing boat, they come closer and closer. Seven kilometers by boat from the city, it shows an archipelago completely covered with trees.

The islands are just off the coast of the fishing village where he grew up. His father was a well-known fishermen’s rights activist who died a few years ago. Now Mehran is committed to preserving the mangrove forests.

“We are very concerned about the situation because you can see there are very high waves on the Karachi side where there are no mangrove forests. We cannot get there with our boat. Therefore we are very concerned for the fishermen of Karachi, for the province of Sindh and for our livelihood.”