Indus Delta mangroves with coastal belt are extensive covering 600,0000 hectares almost 95 percent of the total mangroves in the country. Apparently, mangroves are continuously declining without any check as a result deforestation is on peak. The land of coastal zone in Sindh is very ideal for the mangroves shrubs and deep forest.
Sindh is continuously observing floods and draughts since last decade even coastline has strong defence against potential oceanic and climatic disasters. The mangroves absorb four times more carob from the atmosphere than rainforests, and are 1000 times cheaper per kilometer than building sea walls to protect against the effects of natural disasters, as per UN research. Along with this it is also natural nursery for marine life. Losing such natural defence will expose the costal population at the mercy of any storm in the Arabian Sea.
As per IUCN report (1980), the total area covered by Indus Delta Mangroves forests was 615,000 which reduced to 395,000 acres in early 1990, which is continuously declining and creating grave concern for any natural disaster in future. The main reason behind the decline in forest land seems; the migration and urbanization from remote areas to metropolis (Karachi) had adversely affected; pollution shift created new challenges such as housing society, multiple-story buildings etc.
Sindh government’s forest department efforts are also admirable for restoring the mangroves, which shows that forest department planted record 1.172bn mangroves trees between 2008-2020. There is still need more to do for the natural conservation in Sindh.