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DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio

Pakistan's mangrove forests are in a dismal state. Directly affected by logging, grazingand overfishing, and undermined by the pollution and falling water levels of theregion's rivers, their ability to act as coastal protection and to provide a breedingground for the many marine species is becoming increasingly compromised.But all is not lost. On the Balochistan coast,WWF is working with fishermen andcommunity-based organizations to rehabilitate mangrove forest and providealternatives to unsustainable harvests. A Wetland Education Centre in Sindh Province,near Karachi, is now informing the public of the major threats facing the mangroves,and raising awareness amongst decision-makers of the importance of mangroves toPakistan's economy.

Saving Pakistan's Green Gold Conservation and Development in the Coastal Forest Areas

• 'This is like the Amazon!'

• First ever education program for the girls of Kakapir village

• 'We thought WWF would take away our land'

• 'Policy makers still think every drop of fresh water in the

sea is a waste'

Living Documents

Pakistan 2 26-05-2004 13:35 Pagina 1

financing a project is only one part of the game, themain thing is to stay engaged and get involved in theactivities themselves.’

Engaging with the oil giant doesn’t mean thatWWF-Pakistan has surrendered its right to criticizethe company. ‘We have made it very clear that iftomorrow Shell does something which we feel isirresponsible we will have no problem in criticizingthem, as we have done before,’ says Ali Habib.

The organization adopts the same, autonomousattitude in its dealings with the Pakistan government,whether at the federal or more local levels.Fortunately the present Pakistani government isfairly open to criticism and the country’s newspapersopenly criticize the politicians. However, beingcriticized for a lack of environmental awareness isnot going to disturb the night’s rest of a governmentofficial. ‘In many case we are able to work with localgovernment officials,’ says Ali Habib, ‘like withforest departments or the managers of wildlifeprotected areas. Often they themselves are verycritical about the centralist and bureaucratic way theyhave to work. They also complain that they areprovided with inadequate facilities, autonomy, orback-up to perform their duties.’Ali Habib, however,says he is ‘extremely disappointed’ about theinteraction with the higher echelons of governmentdecision-makers. ‘There is a lack of vision about thefuture. High-ranking public officials regularly statein public that the environment is not important, thatfirst the country has to develop. These are verynarrow-minded views. Of course you can haveeconomic growth and look after the environment atthe same time. In fact, environmental improvementshould be considered as one of the indicators fordevelopment.’

In Pakistan, caring for the environment is still, forthe most part, seen as a Western agenda, as a luxury.It will take a long time to change that attitude. Whileworking on that, says Ali Habib, WWF-Pakistan ismainly active at the local level, ‘where people aremore responsive and changes do take place.’TheMangrove Conservation Project in the Balochistanand Sindh areas is a case in point. ▲

Restoring the country’s wetlands, includingthe fragile mangrove ecosystem, is only oneof WWF-Pakistan’s many priority activities.

Ali Hassan Habib, the organization’sdynamic Director General, knows that to

win the struggle for a better environment, ina country which has so many other pressing

problems, it is necessary to forge as manypartnerships as possible.

‘We do recognize the risks, but we still think itmakes a lot of sense to engage with Shell.’

Speaking at the occasion of the ceremonialinauguration of a new partnership between WWF-Pakistan and Shell Pakistan, Ali Hassan Habib showshimself to be a pragmatic man. ‘There is a lot ofpotential within that company for a more sustainableapproach, and if we don’t engage with them, thatpotential might not be realized. We feel it’sworthwhile to invest time and energy in cooperatingwith such huge companies.’

WWF-Pakistan has been struggling to find newfunding for the conservation of the preciousmangrove ecosystem in the country’s coastal areas.At the end of a five-year program that was sponsoredby the government of the Netherlands, WWF'sKarachi office had to find new donors in order tocontinue the many activities initiated. With the Shell-partnership and the European Union taking overlarge parts of the 'old' project, the future of themangrove conservation activities now seems assured.Shell’s engagement also signals a new dimension inthinking of WWF Pakistan, i.e. involving thecorporate sector in nature conservation.

A precondition for WWF-Pakistan entering into apartnership with Shell in the mangrove conservationwas the oil company’s assurance that its own staffwould get involved in the activities. Ali Habib, whohimself worked for many years for a British chemicalcompany, explains why: ‘Shell has hired some of thebest brains in the country, so if we can influencethem, this will influence Shell’s in-house thinking aswell as influence their future careers. Weincreasingly ask this of our corporate partners:

SAVING PAKISTAN'S GREEN GOLD CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE COASTAL FOREST AREAS

LIVING DOCUMENTS DGIS-WWF Tropical Forest Portfolio

• 2 •

Introduction

Dealing with the open- and the narrow-minded

Pakistan 2 26-05-2004 13:35 Pagina 2

environment in their lives, says Durranee. Theirreactions emphasize the importance of seeing naturewith their own eyes, rather than just reading about itin their textbooks. ‘One student told me that he hadalways thought that there were no birds in Karachiand its environs. But in one or two hours at theSandspit Wetland Centre he spotted 17 species.’Which, by the way, is only a small part of the morethan 100 species that have been recorded here —Dalmatian pelicans and flamingoes, gulls, terns, andwaders are but a few of them.

In 2003, over 4,000 visitors from schools,colleges, universities, communities and the corporatesector, mostly from Karachi and its suburbs, haveparticipated in activities at the Wetland Centre(which was opened in February 2001). They havebeen involved in mangrove plantation, bird- andturtle watching, training courses, beach-cleaningactivities, and awareness-raising workshops.

Students are the main focus group of the Centre,which is the first of its kind in Pakistan. It contains adisplay hall, which has different exhibits and posterson wetland ecosystems, a children’s play area, a

The visitor’s surprise is understandable, it isindeed a small miracle to see this fragile

ecosystem less than 20 km from Pakistan’s largestmetropolis, where, every day, over 10 million peoplecontribute to the further pollution of theirenvironment. Most visitors, especially youngstudents, have never been outside an urban



• 3 •

Sandspit Wetland Centre opens the eyes of many

‘This is like the Amazon!’Whenever possible, WWF’s local conservation officer,

Jahangir Durranee, takes groups of students or corporateofficials visiting the Wetland Centre at Sandspit out for a

boat trip into the backwaters, which are surrounded bymangrove swamps. Most of his guests are flabbergastedby the sight of the lush vegetation and the richness of the

animal life which includes every year thousands ofwading birds, on their way south from Central Asia. ‘Thisis like the Amazon,’they exclaim - a region they know from

television. ‘They find it hard to believe,’Durranee says,‘that we have such rich nature here in our own backyard,

so close to the megacity of Karachi.’

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have been asked to do the same. Companies likeUnilever and ICI are already involved in small-scaleactivities for their staff. A group of 28 volunteersfrom Unilever, for instance, which (like Sui Gascompany) is an Exclusive Corporate Member ofWWF-Pakistan, planted hundreds of mangrovesaplings near the Centre and attended a presentationon conservation activities marking the occasion ofEarth Day.

Other activities of the Wetland Centre include theproduction of several video films, and organizingtraining courses on wetlands management. Well-known television performer, Ms Marina Khan hasjoined as a Goodwill representative, attracting extraattention from the print and electronic media.

Not self-sustainingSince its launch, the Wetland Centre seems to haveoperated quite successfully and has gone some wayto achieving its aim of enhancing public awareness ofmangrove ecosystems. However, sustaining itselffinancially has proved a difficult task for the Centre.Project manager Ali Hasnain admits that ‘creating aself-sustaining Wetland Centre is the only major aimthat we have not achieved in the past years.’

Marketing a fairly new concept like the WetlandCentre is not an easy task in Pakistani society andfundraising has proved difficult. WWF-Pakistanestimates that US$ 50,000 will be required annuallyfor the Centre’s operation. A marketing andfundraising plan has been developed, with the help ofa consultant from the Mai Po Nature Reserve ofWWWF-Hong Kong. WWF-Pakistan is nowconsidering the establishment of an EndowmentFund or Trust Fund, that with an amount of

laboratory, a data resource unit, and a staff office. Itsactivities include a school membership program,different product lines, and clubs like the Green GoldClub - an exclusive club for educational institutions.

‘To maintain a steady stream of visitors,continuous lobbying and networking with schooladministrations is necessary,’ says the MangroveProject’s manager, Ali Hasnain. ‘Consequently wehave organized an orientation program for directorsof about 200 institutions, to highlight the value of theCentre for them.’

Many under-funded government schools haveproblems paying the entrance fees for their pupils tovisit the Centre. For the moment, this problem hasbeen solved through a contribution of Sui SouthernGas Company, which has promised to pay the feesfor a thousand school children. Other companies



• 4 •

The Wetland Centre

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Students are involved in planting activities

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continuity for the activities and have covered otheroperational expenses, after the life of the project.’▲

The Wetland Centre established its own Newsletter,called Wet and Wild, and has a separate webpage onWWF-Pakistan’s website:www.wwfpak.org/wet-club.htm

US$ 500,000 would assure a continuous flow offunds to the Centre. Ali Hasnain: ‘It will be a gigantictask to secure such an amount of money. We willapproach various donors, corporate and individual, toprovide money. We now know that such a Fundshould have been proposed at the beginning of theproject. It would have provided consistency and



• 5 •

Hajee Gul Mohammed is the fisherman who takes us for a trip in Sandspit's backwaters. He thinks hemust be somewhere between 80 and 90 years old. He is certain of this because he remembers the'Victorian time', as they call the British colonization here. At that time, he worked for the British as acarriage driver.Here, in Sandspit's backwaters, he tries to earn a living during periods when fishing in the open sea isbanned. It's not something he enjoys: there is alot of competition amongst the fishermen,with crab catchers from the whole regioncoming to this area. 'In the backwaters thereare days you earn only 20 or 30 rupees. It'simpossible to live from that, with your family.' Consequently, Hajee Gul is not always ableto buy the medicine he needs for his heartcondition. He has never received anysupport from the provincial fisheriesdepartment. At the start of each fisheryseason, he borrows money for equipment orto repair his boat from the moneylenders inhis village.The moneylender takes 8 percent of the catch as interest. Pay back of theloan is not arranged, that can be done atany time. 'But if one day your boat sinks, youmay end your life as a beggar.'

Former carriage driver in the British empire

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use the area as a wintering ground and Ardeidkites breed in the area.

• Two species of turtle - green turtle and oliveRidley turtle - use the beach for nesting fromAugust to January.

Social setting• Approximately 5,000 people live in the Sandspit

area.• About 85% of the population are engaged in

fishing activities.• The area is used for recreational purposes with

more than 150,000 visitors annually.• Basic facilities such as health, education and safe

drinking water are inadequate.• Women have no significant role in economic and

development activities or in decision-making.

Pressures on resources• Lopping of mangrove trees for stall feeding of

cattle and camels.• Dumping of untreated municipal sewage.• Nesting grounds of marine turtles under pressure

from: construction of recreation huts, solid wastefrom beach visitors, and predators (crows, kites,and dogs) that feed on eggs and hatchlings.

Biophysical description• The project is being implemented at Sandspit in

Sindh province.• The project area lies 18 km southwest of Karachi

City (which has a population of 10-12 millionpeople). The area contains shallow tidal lagoons,inter-tidal mudflats and 400 hectares of mangroveswamps.

• The western part comprises open sandy beachextending for 20 km. The beach platform is highenough to remain above the high tidemarkthroughout the year except during the monsoon,when it can be inundated by high tides.

• The river Lyari feeds the backwaters from theeastern side and seawater enters from the southand from Karachi harbor.

• The average annual rainfall is 125 mm and themean annual temperature is 32°C.

• The climate is arid subtropical, with temperaturesremaining moderate throughout the year.

Biodiversity significance• One mangrove species, Avicennia marina, is

present in the area, covering about 400 hectares. • About 50,000 waterfowl such as waders, pelicans,

flamingos, egrets and herons, and gulls and terns



• 6 •

Sindh Mangrove Conservation Project

Area of the Wetland Centre Sandspit, Karachi

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situation and helped to initiate a non-formaleducation program for the girls in the village. Afemale teacher from a neigbourhood community washired, while a teacher from the community has beenengaged to provide education for the adult women.About 70 girls and women from 6 to 25 years havebeen enrolled in the past half-year and are nowattending daily lessons in the afternoon (while theboys have lessons in the same building in themorning).

The girls themselves seem very happy with thisarrangement. After we have been granted specialpermission to enter the classroom where some 30girls, aged between 13 and 19, are being taught, weask them some questions. All of them emphasize howglad they are to get this education, and to learn, asone of them says, ‘what is right and what is wrong.’

The village with a population of some 1.200people, lacked a separate school for girls so far.

Some girls have in the past been enrolled in thegovernmental primary school, but due to localcustoms most parents were reluctant to allow theirdaughters to be educated in the presence of boys. Thegirls and their mothers were, however, eager foreducation.

In consultation with the community elders,WWF’s Mangrove Project decided to resolve this



• 7 •

First ever education programfor the girls of Kakapir village

September 30, 2003 was an important day for thevillage of Kakapir, in the vicinity of the Sandspit

Wetland Centre. On that day the education programfor girls at the local community school was

officially inaugurated.

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education possibilities for our girls because thegovernment was not interested in providing us with afemale teacher. But they did not provide goodeducation for the boys either. Now almost all boysand girls of our village go to school, and that is how itshould be.’

The education program is one of the most visibleresults of the cooperation between WWF andSandspit’s local community. Much has changed heresince the start of the conservation activities. ‘At first,people gave WWF a hard time,’ admits Haji Siddiq.‘There was a lot of mistrust. We told WWF thatpeople need to see tangible results. That is what ishappening and now everybody wants to join thesustainable activities like plantation and raising themangrove nursery.’As one illustration of this, 30young women from the village participated in the2003 celebration of World Environment Day,planting mangrove saplings in the degraded areasnear the Wetland Center. Seven of them also helpedwith the establishment of the nurseries.

Another important development is theconstruction of a natural gas connection, which will

When asked what they plan to do with their lives,several girls say that they want to become like citypeople: ‘Well dressed, rich, and with all kinds ofmaterial things.’ (Later, teacher Nasreen Perwaizsays that all these girls are in fact already engagedwith local boys and there’s little chance that they willbe able to leave the village).

Teacher Nasreen speaks of a ‘challenging’ job:‘These girls are really blank, you have to teach themeverything, but they are extremely interested andmotivated, and so are their parents. Some of themcome every week to the school to ask if theirdaughters are doing well. Working here gives a lot ofsatisfaction.’

The support of the parents is confirmed by one ofthem, 38-year old local fisherman MohammedSidique. He is very proud of his daughter: ‘For a fewmonths now she has been going to school in theafternoon: every evening she studies. Within weeksshe was able to write her own name!’

Haji Siddiq, the much-respected township elder,says he is thankful to WWF for making freeeducation for the girls possible. ‘There were no



• 8 •

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community to be given a gas connection, which willbe operated by its Corporate Member, Sui SouthernGas Company. ‘It will mean that the conditions forstopping the degradation of the forest are in place,’says Haji Siddiq. ‘Gas means our women can stay athome instead of collecting wood.’ ▲

probably be laid before the end of the year. In mostareas of Pakistan people cook with gas, but in theSandspit area there is no gas supply, which, with theconsequent need for fuel wood, contributessignificantly to the pressure on the mangroves.WWF-Pakistan lobbied hard for the Kakapir



• 9 •

Sandspit Beach is a recreational area for Karachi inhabitants. It is frequented by thousands of visitors, particularly onweekends. Unfortunately much of the trash they leave in their wake is made up of plastic products and does notdegrade for years.Together with the litter coming down the rivers, this constitutes a real danger for the sea turtleswho eat it.WWF’s Wetland Centre organizes regular beach-cleaning activities before and during the nesting seasonof marine turtles.The Centre has been mobilizing students to participate in the beach cleanups to provide a safenesting habitat to the endangered green turtles. About one hundred students from Karachi Grammar School cleanedup a 5 km stretch of the beach in February 2003.This exercise was repeated in October, when no fewer than 400students participated. ‘These events were sponsored by ICI, a pharmaceutical company,’ says Babar Hussain, WWF-Pakistan’s Turtle Conservation officer. ‘Every year we organize these major beach-cleaning activities, which is also agood educational tool.’The marine turtle conservation program itself is sponsored by the banking corporation HSBC.There are three WWF guards active at Sandspit Beach. One of their tasks is to watch the nests and help turtlehatchlings to find their way to the sea.Together with the Karachi-based NGO Shehri, WWF-Pakistan is developing a more permanent and systematicmechanism for beach cleaning activities, involving the City District Government, the Manora Cantonment Board andthe Karachi Port Trust (with the help of the GEF Small Grants Program).

Students clean the beach to save the turtles

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community by mobilizing the villagers to establishan eidgah, a congregation ground for the Eid prayer(Eid is the largest Muslim festival). In this village ofdevote Muslims, this created a lot of goodwill for thenew organization.

More recently the CBO organized resistanceagainst plans to establish a commercial shrimp farmnear Sonmiani’s mangrove forests. ‘We know thatthese kind of shrimp farms are bad for theenvironment,’Abdul Rashid says. ‘The mangrovesthat we have planted recently would have been cutagain. We celebrate Environment Day and OceanDay every year. So it would be strange if we were toaccept such a shrimp farm here.’

Consequently, when the governor of Balochistan

While seated on the ground of the attractivelydecorated meeting room of the Sonmiani

Development Organization, coordinator AbdulRashid tells the story of his CBO. He tells how, whenit was launched a few years ago, it won over the

SAVING PAKISTAN'S GREEN GOLD CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE COASTAL FOREST AREAS• 10 •

Integrated conservation and development around Miani Hor

‘We thought WWF would takeaway our land’

Facilitated by WWF-Pakistan, community-basedorganizations (CBOs) have been created in the three

villages that are situated around Miani Hor Lagoon -Sonmiani, Dam and Bhira. Despite initial resistance theCBOs have had a significant impact on these traditional

fishing villages and their popular support has grownalong with their success.

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movement were sent to jail. The memory of thisepisode encouraged the Bhira population to resistevery effort of the WWF Mangrove ConservationProject (which had announced it would work inpartnership with the Balochistan Forest Department)to enter the area.

‘There was a lot of mistrust in the first years,’admits Darya Khan. ‘Many people were afraid ofWWF. They thought it would take away their lands.’But the people of Bhira were also aware of the bigproblems facing their village: the total lack of a(social) infrastructure such as a metalled road, aschool, dispensary or electricity. When they saw theresults of the WWF-supported CBO activities in thevillages of Dam and Sonmiani, the mood changed.‘Most people in Bhira now believe WWF reallywants to help us.’Although, Khan admits, there isstill some resistance. ‘But we are facing these peoplenow.’

Applying for fundsThe Dam CBO has 68 members, all of them men,who pay a small monthly contribution. Women arenot allowed to become members. There is, however,a special CBO women’s committee, which organizesspecific activities like the mangrove nurseries, healtheducation and midwife training. Other recentactivities of the Dam CBO include installing asewage pipe in the market, establishing a dispensaryas well as raising the village’s educationalpossibilities from 8th to 10th grade for boys (for girlsthe 8th grade is still the highest possible level). Fuel-efficient stoves have been introduced. A facilityworkshop for boat engine repair has been installed,while the CBO has also started giving small loans tofishermen, to supplement the loans from themoneylenders.

WWF-Pakistan - which has two communitymobilizers in this area: one male, one female -supports the CBO in applying for funds with severaldonors, ranging from the Ministry of Environment toforeign donors like the Swedish SIDA (health projectfor women) or the GEF Small Grants Programmeand the EU/PTF fund (mangrove planting, as well asecotourism activities). WWF-Pakistan also arrangedan exposure visit of the CBO members tocommunity-based projects in Northern Pakistan,where an integrated conservation and developmentapproach is practiced successfully. The members ofthe CBO were also provided with skill-based andissue-based training to deal with environmental,social or development issues.

‘We are very satisfied with the partnership thatwe’ve build with the communities of Sonmiani andDam,’ says WWF Karachi’s Fayyaz Rasool, whohimself lived for several years in Sonmiani as the

Province recently visited the area, the people fromSonmiani seized the opportunity to mount a protestagainst the plans, complete with banners - in itself, arevolutionary step for the people in this village.However, not everybody agreed with the CBO-inspired activities. Some of the community elders, inparticular, were annoyed. ‘They wanted to getfinancial compensation from the company, in returnfor their permission to start the farm. But we did notagree with them. We said: this is an area for poor, butproud fishermen. Local people only want to fish, theydon’t want to work on a shrimp farm,’ says Rashid.

Power struggleOther CBOs tell their own stories of internalresistance to the new community-based initiatives.Fear of losing their influence made some communityelders - effectively, the village’s informal leaders -resist the new CBOs, which were set up by mostlyyoung men from their own communities. ‘Thesepeople had full control of the community,’ saysHabibullah, president of the Society for SocialDevelopment and Conservation of Nature, the CBOof Dam village. ‘To get anything done it was alwaysnecessary first to approach them. The creation of theCBO weakened their influence and they did not likeit. But we have done all we can to show our respect.We consult them frequently. But the creation of theCBOs has undermined the old power system here,that’s for sure.’

The community elders in Dam did not resist thenew CBO too strongly, adds former presidentMuhammad Ali (presidential jobs within the CBOrotate every two year): ‘They were convinced thatthese young people were doomed to fail. But we didnot,’ he says proudly, ‘and now almost everybodysupports us.’

The creation of the CBOs can be seen as an effortto fill a gap caused by the steady decline of theindigenous system of community organization(Kutcheries). The main focus of the Kutcherymembers - mainly the elders of the village - presentlyis on conflict resolution, land disputes and ethnicfeuds. The formation of CBOs requires theendorsement of the Kutchery members.

Also present at this meeting of the Dam CBO isDarya Khan, president of the newly formed CBO ofthe village of Bhira. This is the most remote villageof the three: the best way to approach it is by thecoast, at low tide. In the past the village has had somevery bad experiences with the provincial ForestDepartment, which suddenly banned mangrovecutting. The Bhira population, which dependsheavily on the resources of the nearby forest,protested against the decision. The situation thenescalated and some of leaders of the protest



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monitor them with little assistance from theMangrove Conservation Project. However, thepartnership between WWF-Pakistan and the MianiHor communities didn’t stop when the DGIS funded5-year project came to an end. A second phase of theproject has been accepted for funding by theEuropean Commission. The project will focus onsustainable management of mangroves and fisheries,

project’s local conservation manager. ‘And relationswith the Bhira community are also improvingrapidly. These communities are really contributingand taking steps for the betterment of the localenvironment and living conditions, while at the sametime working for the development of the area.’

The CBOs now have the technical proficiency toraise mangrove nurseries, establish plantations and



• 12 •

The facility workshop for boat engine repair which has been installed in Dam

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became involved in seed collection and nurseryraising. Then they started taking part in otheractivities as well. After that they themselves actuallystarted planting with the two CBOs competing to seewhich could plant the most. This helped enormously.Some of them told us that, in the beginning, theyweren’t bothered when people cut mangrove trees –sometimes they even helped them. Now, havingplanted the seedlings themselves, it hurts even ifsomeone plucks a leaf of the tree. So now they have afeeling of ownership, they want to protect the forests.They also learned about the relationship betweenmangroves and shrimp and fish production, whichhas a direct link with their livelihood.’

Training the local population was anotherimportant element. Initially, the local population wastrained in various skills connected to the mangroves.However, says Ejaz Ahmad, ‘we felt that theirinterest in the community development process wasenhanced after we had trained them in management-related skills, such as the management of CBOs,work plan development, accounts, book keeping, etc.Because of these enhanced management skills, theirconfidence has grown so that now they can deliverand improve the condition of their communities.’▲

while providing natural resources, food and incometo the poor households in the coastal communities.The villages around Miani Hor are part of the newproject, which will also include Sandspit as well astwo new sites, i.e. Kalmat Khor in the North ArabianSea Ecoregion (Balochistan) and Ketti Bunder in theIndus Delta Ecoregion (Sindh).

OwnershipLooking back at the Balochistan experiences, Dr.Ejaz Ahmad, Deputy Director General of WWF-Pakistan, and the Regional Head for the Sindh andBalochistan Province, emphasizes that the mainconcern throughout was focussed more on theprocess than the output. The target of planting 140 hawith mangroves could have easily been achievedwithin 2-3 years by bringing in labor, he says. ‘Infact, that’s what we did in the first year of the project.But we soon discovered that this was not the rightway. We were talking with the communities about theimportance of mangroves and communitydevelopment processes, but we weren’t involvingthem. Our Community Development Officersstopped this practice and initiated discussions withthe CBOs about participating in the mangroveconservation activity. The local population first



• 13 •

The largest fishing concern in Dam owns three large ships, each with up to 40 men aboard. But, as the managerpoints out, in fact the company’s fleet also contains some 60 smaller boats (a large part of the total 130-ship fleet ofthe village).This is because the fishermen have been given loans to buy these boats by the company. Part of the dealis that they have to sell their catch to the moneylenders.There is not much of a choice, because this is the only way toget credit in Dam, the nearest bankbeing many miles away. Fishermen inDam are used to borrowing money inthis way, with no written contracts,solely based on verbal agreements. Butof course, they would prefer to be ableto do without the restrictive loans andaccompanying arrangements thatreduce the return they receive fromtheir catch. It is estimated that almosttwo thirds of the households areindebted to informal moneylenders.Increasing debt has underminedsustainable fishing and the mangroveharvesting traditions of the past: theborrowers’ inability to pay back theloans have pushed their households toa point where their dependence onnatural resources has increased,resulting in rapid degradation of theseresources and increased poverty.

Not much of a choice

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• 14 •

WWF-Pakistan has enabled the planting of 176 ha of degraded mangrove areas in the past years in the Miani Hor,while the target of the project was 140 ha (by June 2002). Additionally, the CBO of Dam village has planted 52 ha ofmangroves through a project supported by the Small Grants Program of the Pakistan Ministry of Environment.Research by the Botany Department of the University of Karachi has shown that at least 40 percent of therehabilitated area survivesto maturity.These plantsare now bearing flowersand have startedproducing their ownseeds. Approximately700 ha, including therehabilitated areas, havebeen earmarked forsustainable managementby the community.The plantation activitiesare continued throughthe involvement of localcommunities.There arefour operationalnurseries in the area,stocked with 40,000saplings of Rhizophoraand Ceriops. Most of thework in the nurseries isdone by women. Plantingthe saplings is consideredmen's work. In both cases,the voluntary work is organized by the CBOs. The main goal of all these activities is to protect, conserve, restore andassure the quality of the natural resource base for future generations. Fisherman Muhammad Ayub hopes his owngeneration may already be seeing the benefits: 'I have been at sea since I was four years old.We used to sail as faras India and Muscat.That was of course before Independence in 1947. Fishing has always been good here, but not

anymore.However, thisyear, for the firsttime in manyyears, shrimpproduction wasgood again.Thatmay have anatural cause, butthere is a chancethat this is the firstresult of ourmangroveplanting. It's onlythe first year ofcourse, so weshould not jump toconclusions. Let'swait and see.'

Former mangrove graveyards

Project Manager Ali Hasnain pointing at recently planted areas

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• Miani Hor is part of the WWF Global 200Ecoregion i.e. North Arabian Sea and is also aRamsar site.

• Two species of marine dolphin are regularly seenin the Hor: Humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea)and Bottle-nose dolphin (Tursiops truncates).

• It is a nursery ground for shrimp and fish.

Social setting• Three villages - Sonmiani, Dam and Bhira - are

situated around the bay with a total population ofapproximately 7,000 inhabitants.

• 10,000 people seasonally migrate to the areaduring the fishing season (October to April).

• Approximately 90% of the population depend onfishing.

• Basic facilities such as health, education and safedrinking water are inadequate.

• Women have no significant role in economic anddevelopment activities or in decision-making.

Pressures on resources• Dependency on the mangrove forest varies from

village to village. Bhira relies on the resource to agreater extent than the other two villages.

• Lopping of mangrove trees for stall feeding, camelgrazing, and cutting of mature and large trees forhouse roof construction and boat support.

• Use of illegal nets for fishing.• Over-harvesting of fish resources.

Biophysical description• The project has been implemented at Sonmiani

Hor (bay) which is a body of water some 60 kmlong and 7 km wide, connected to the sea by a 4km wide mouth. The total area of the Hor is 125sq. km and the adjacent shelf is 80 km wide.

• Two seasonal rivers enter the Hor. The river Poralidrains through the Bela region and empties intothe central part, while the river Windor enters nearthe mouth of the Hor.

• Several low-lying islands, extensive mangroveswamps and inter-tidal mudflats commonly occurin the Hor.

• The temperature is high in the summers (35°C to40°C) and the climate is arid to extremely arid.Winters are mild (20°C to 25°C).

• The annual rainfall ranges from 106 to 122 mmper annum. The area does not experience themonsoon.

Biodiversity significance• It is the only area in Pakistan where three

mangrove species, Avicennia marina, Rhizophoramucronata and Ceriops tagal are present. Thevegetation covers 2,500 ha.

• About 50,000 waterfowl have been observedduring winter such as waders, gulls and terns,cranes, pelicans and flamingos. The area is usedby Ardeids and Brahminy kites as their breedinggrounds.



• 15 •

Balochistan Mangrove Conservation Project

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• 16 •

Late in the afternoon we meet Abdul Ghani, who isdrinking tea with some friends in a Sonmiani open-aircafé. He used to earn a living from the shop he ownshere. Now he has rented the shop to his nephew, andreturned to fishing. He fishes in the traditional fashion,without a boat, catching by hand (mainly crabs andsmall fish).This earns him a daily income of some 60 to100 rupee (1 to 1.5 dollar).With this money he has tosustain his much-younger wife of 30 years (he himself isin his fifties), one son who is still in school and anephew. His income has decreased lately, he says, forwhich he blames the massive use of small-mesh nets.‘All the fishermen along the Pakistan coast use thesenets.We all know it is harmful but nobody wants to bethe first to stop using them.The government doesn’tcare, the government officials extort their money andkeep their eyes closed.’ However, he also signals a newdevelopment that is as harmful as the use of the nets:‘Some fishermen have started to close off the mouth ofthe channels and catch all the fish in there.’ Abdul Ghanihas complained about these practices to the local CBOand he is hopeful they can do something about it.

‘We all know these nets are harmful’

Mohammed Ismail is the headmaster ofthe Governmental Middle School forboys in Sonmiani. ‘We organize a lot ofenvironmental activities,’ says Ismail. ‘Itis compulsory for students to visit themangrove plantation. Children are nowaware of the value of the mangroves.’The Sonmiani CBO recently donatedschool books for 35 children whosefamilies were too poor to buy them forthemselves.The creation of a schoolgarden was also sponsored. Some 50percent of the local boys attend thismiddle school, the rest start work afterfinishing primary school. ‘But in the endthey all become fishermen,’ says Ismail.‘Because their parents are too poor.They can’t afford to pay for their childrento go to Karachi to study.’ It’s very sadthat students who have the ability, areunable to go on to high school, sighs theheadmaster. ‘And especially here:coastal students are known to be verysmart.’

‘Coastal students are very smart’

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which has shown that the overall area of themangrove forest has not shrunk dramatically.Biodiversity has been reduced and certain pocketshave become degraded. The threats are there, nodoubt about it. But, given the state of the mangrovestoday, there is ground for optimism. With the stepsbeing taken now, Pakistan’s coastal forests can besustained for the future.’

The WWF Director General however also pointsto the many uncertainties. ‘There is still a lot goingon in the mangrove ecosystem that we don’tunderstand. There is of course the problem of thedecreased fresh water flows. But you also seedegradation in parts of the mangroves that havevirtually no contact with fresh water. This means thatpollution must also play a role, global warmingmaybe, or other factors. Scientists are still studyingthis question. At present we don’t completelyunderstand the dynamics of the mangroves.’

The plea for additional research is wholeheartedlyembraced by Dr. Saifullah, Professor of Botany at

WWF’s Director General, Ali Hassan Habib, isone of those who refuses to be too pessimistic

about the future of Pakistan’s mangroves, even thosethat are so close to the mega-city Karachi. ‘We’vedone a ten-year study of the state of the mangroveforests in the Indus delta and the Sonmiani area,



• 17 •

Luckily, mangrove treeslack commercial value

Pakistan’s unique mangroves face manythreats, ranging from internal factors such

as overcutting for firewood and illegalfishing practices, to external factors such asthe reduced freshwater discharge and water

pollution. Fortunately the commercialthreats facing the mangroves are not as

serious as those facing most of the forests inthe rest of the country. They are also

fortunate in that, so far, no large companieshave shown interest in establishing shrimp

farming here.

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Saifullah with a dramatic undertone, ‘but my workwon’t be complete before we have established such aresearch centre. Without proper research, it will behard to stop the ongoing deterioration of Pakistan’smangroves.’

Internal as well as external pressure on the fragileecosystem is enormous, according to the professor.And growing rapidly. ‘Twenty years ago, the water ofClifton was clean but now it is no more and the beach

Karachi University, one of the leading nationalexperts in the field of mangroves ecology. But he isless optimistic than the WWF’s Ali Habib. Saifullahhas already spent several years lobbying -unsuccessfully - for the establishment of a MangroveResearch Centre, which should preferably be locatedin the Miani Hor area. At 100 kilometers fromKarachi, biodiversity and the quality of the water arestill largely unaffected. ‘I am almost retired,’ says



• 18 •

DAWN Newspaper, Pakistan

KARACHI, Sept 30, 2003: A non-governmental organization and an oilcompany, on Monday, jointly launcheda three-year conservation projectaimed at upgrading the mangroveecosystem located in the outskirts ofKarachi, Pakistan.

THE PROJECT, WHICH is likely to costabout Rs5 million, will be executed jointlyby Shell Pakistan and the World WideFund for Nature (WWF)-Pakistan, in theKorangi-Phitti creek system. The projectemphasizes not only the conservation ofthe existing mangroves but also envisagesfurther mangrove plantation in the area,besides creating awareness among thelocal communities, including students,about the importance and properutilization of the mangrove resources.

Speaking as chief guest at the

inauguration ceremony of the project, theSindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad said theproject would also support environmentconservation efforts. Expressing hisappreciation of the joint move by Shelland WWF, Dr Ibad urged the corporatesector to play a proactive role in theconservation area in order to make societybetter for all.

Referring to the events of the last fewweeks, he noted that conservation of theenvironment was a national priority.“Degradation of the environment is moreoften a result of neglect and irresponsibleactions and has an impact, far wider anddeeper than we often imagine,” he added.Calling for more projects and the creationof more awareness among the masses, hehoped that some of the major problemscould be addressed before it was too late.

In a plea made by the WWF DirectorGeneral in his speech, Dr Ibad assured theaudience that he would extend all-out

support in securing protected sanctuarystatus for the mangrove forest, spreadover an area of 350 hectors around theSandspit.

According to the WWF DirectorGeneral, Ali Hassan Habib, the Sandspitmangrove forest, which is currently underthe control of the Karachi Port Trust, wasin relatively good condition and should bemaintained as a model area providingopportunities for eco-tourism. Speakingat the launch ceremony, Mr. Ali Habibsaid that mangrove forests were facingmassive degradation every year, whichneeded to be checked in the interest ofecosystem and fisheries, and for savingother marine species.

In his welcome speech, the chairman ofShell Pakistan, Farooq Rahmatullah,referring to the 129,000 hectares coveredby mangroves in the Indus Delta held thatit perhaps was the largest mangrove forestin the world in any arid climate. He saidthat the mangrove ecosystem was of greateconomic and ecological significance,and it was a pool of biodiversity and ahabitat for diverse species, ranging frombacteria and fungi to fish, shrimp, birds,reptiles and mammals, besides being asource of fuel wood for people in thecoastal area and fodder for the livestock,in addition to other benefits. However, headded that the indiscriminate exploitationof mangrove resources by the coastalpopulation, the reduction in fresh watersupply and the dumping of refuse andpollutants had degraded the ecosystem inthe country. About the joint venture, hemaintained that it was a partnership for ameaningful contribution to the society.The project would be financed by Shell, inline with its policy of supportingsustainable environment projects, headded.

Mangrove conservation projectlaunched in Pakistan

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can help people to establish small gardens to growfodder. You have to find natural solutions, which areaffordable for the local population and for theinstitutions helping them.’

Local people should manage the foreststhemselves, says the Karachi professor, andgovernment needs to support them. Which is aproblem. ‘Politics here is dominated by personalfeuds and lack of capacity. We need an intersectoral,intergovernmental approach to tackle the problems inthe coastal areas. But only foreign experts will beable to convince the politicians, they don’t listen to asimple local professor.’

Oil spill Professor Saifullah illustrates the need for a moreactive government role with the example of a recentnear-catastrophic oil spill incident. On July 27, 2003,the Tasman Spirit, a single-hulled tanker carrying67,000 tons of crude oil, ran aground near theKarachi port. Attempts to tow it away failed; thetanker broke into two pieces and probably almosthalf of the oil leaked into the sea. The Balochistancoast and Sandspit area, with its precious mangroveecosystems and the unique marine turtle breed areaswas only saved by the eastward direction of thecurrent. However, the crude oil did affect the 14 kmlong Clifton beach on the Karachi coast, as well asparts of the mangroves area in the Indus Delta. AnIntegrated Coastal Management Plan would haveprevented this near disaster, thinks Saifullah, becauseit wouldn’t have permitted the tanker to pass as nearto the coast as it did (at less than 1 km), while rescueefforts could have been mobilised much morequickly and efficiently.

In their office at the Sindh Forest Department,Divisional Forest Officers Hyder Raza and SadiqMughal agree that Pakistan has been lucky this time.‘The disaster could have been much worse.’However, they say, the mangroves did suffer from theoil spill, which is a pity because for the first time inten years the rains were good this year. ‘That wouldhave compensated for the continuing reducedfreshwater discharge. Also, you have to rememberthat there is very little knowledge available on thedirect effects of oil spills on local fish stocks, not tospeak about the long-lasting adverse impact onmarine life.’

The Sindh Forest Department is still working on acomprehensive master plan to stop the degradation ofthe mangroves in the Indus Delta, together with theMinistry of Environment, say both officers. TheWorld Bank, UNDP and several other internationalorganizations support rehabilitation programs in theDelta, which contains the largest arid climatemangrove forest in the world. ▲

soiled with black murky domestic sewage from theadjacent residential area. The Balochistanmangroves, especially, are in great danger, becausethey are relatively small, compared to the ones in theIndus delta.’

Saifullah, who was one of the main advisors to theWWF Mangrove Conservation project, is cautious inhis judgment of the project’s activities so far. ‘Manygood things have been started, but we still don’tknow how it will work out. However, the generalapproach is right. People in these areas are so poor,you need to give them incentives before they will act.WWF-Pakistan was also the first organization whichhad staff there, right at the spot. That was veryimportant too, to win people’s trust.’

A large part of the internal pressure on themangroves can be tackled by simple measures,Saifullah feels. ‘People cut the wood, because theydon’t have access to natural gas. That problem can besolved by connecting them to the gas supply system.It is the same with the animal fodder problem. You



• 19 •

UN-organization UNEP once estimated that 1 ha ofmangrove forest, if properly managed, will produce an annualyield of 100kg of fish, 25 kg of shrimps, 15 kg of crabs meat,200 kg of mollusks and 40 kg of sea cucumbers. Substantialamounts of firewood and fodder should be added to thatyield. According to these figures, the economic value ofPakistan 's mangroves is approximately US$ 60 million (US$30-40 million alone for the export of shrimp). In addition itshould be noted that mangroves are important for reducingcoastal erosion and the siltation of ports, and also forweakening the impact of coastal cyclones.

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• 20 •

Goals Obstacles Results

Plantation of mangroves Working experience ofcommunities with thegovernment especially in thefield of conservation has beenvery bad, which createdproblems during the initialstages and therefore, trust-building and mobilization ofthe communities took longerthan expected.

Community mobilizationtowards sustainablemanagement

Difficult start because, in thebeginning, the communitiesperceived that the projectwould bring livelihood andemployment opportunities tothe area. The project’semphasis was mainly onmangrove conservationactivities though, whichlimited the abilities to addressdevelopment and social issuesincluding livelihood andpolicy issues.

A more holistic ecosystemapproach would have allowedintervention in a wider range ofactions such as marineresource conservation likefisheries and shrimp.Completion of the study of theroot causes of biodiversity losswas delayed.

Two functional CBOs assisted(Sonmiani and Dam), both areworking in the project area for socialand conservation improvement. A700 ha area has been selected forsustainable management. Relationsbetween CBOs and NGOs,government and donorsorganizations established. Capacityof the CBOs enhanced throughvarious training programs. ActionPlan developed for the area jointlywith CBOs and the BalochistanForest Dept.

The result of the root cause study hasbeen considered in the currentproject funded by EU.

Tackle the root causes ofbiodiversity loss inmangrove ecosystems in theregion.

Overview of the main goals, obstacles and results

Balochistan Province

The objective of the project was to restore degraded mangrove forest, to establish mangroveplantations, and to bring mangrove forest areas under local sustainable management.

A 176 ha area has been plantedagainst a target of 140 ha. Fouroperational nurseries with a totalstock of 40,000 mangrove saplingsestablished. Balochistan Forest Dept.now also involved in mangroveplantation. Women are participatingin plantation activities.

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• 21 •

Goals Obstacles Results

Establish a high-profile,self-financing WetlandCentre.

The lack of an endowmentfund means there is no regularsupport for activities andmaintenance. Marketing ofsuch a product as the WetlandCentre is a difficult task inPakistani society.

Raise awareness aboutwetland ecosystemssystems through theWetland Centre using publicawareness and resourcematerial development,training and support forfield research, marketingand fundraising, anddevelopment of a dataresource center.

It is not easy to enhance theparticipation of schools inCentre activities. Therefore,resource materials should bedeveloped in consultation withthe Federal and ProvincialEducation Departments.

The Centre contains a display hallwith different exhibits and posters onwetland ecosystems, a children’splay area, a laboratory, a dataresource unit, and an office for thestaff. A marketing and fundraisingplan has been developed to make thecenter self-sustaining

Resource materials in the form ofposters and educational packs onmangroves, turtles and birds areavailable. Activity sheets are presentin these packs for students andteachers. Five video films have beenproduced.

Over 4,000 students from 50different institutes in Karachi and itssuburbs have participated inactivities at the center. They havebeen involved in mangroveplantation, bird-watching, turtle-watching and beach-cleaningactivities, and awareness-raisingworkshops on themes related towetland ecosystems includingmangroves. Also, training courses onwetlands management have beenconducted.

Resource materialdevelopment

Workshops for differenttarget groups. Training ondifferent issues such asnatural resourcemanagement and socialmobilization. Organizeevents to involve differenttarget groups.

Overview of the main goals, obstacles and results

Sindh Province

The objective of the project was to establish a high-profile self-financing Wetland Centre atSandspit, which would be developed for training and dissemination of information throughresource materials to different target groups such as students, community members, andbeach visitors.

The Wetland Centre has beenestablished and is operational. Itsfinancial future is not secured,however.

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The creation of community-based organizations,aided by WWF’s Mangrove Conservation Project,has also brought change. For the first time, manypeople in these extremely poor communities havediscovered that, with some external help, theythemselves are able to improve their livingconditions.

Change can be noticed at the level of the corporatesector, which is increasingly willing to accept itsresponsibility and contribute to sustainable naturalresource use, as has been seen with Shell Pakistanand the Sui Southern Gas Company. Changingattitudes can also be seen at the level of the Karachiand Port Qasim Port authorities. The Karachi PortTrust has supported the Wetland Centre by supplyingthe land on which it has been built. It also endorsesthe plan for declaring the Sandspit mangrove forestsa Nature Reserve. The Port Qasim Authority, whichmanages the second largest port in Pakistan in theoutskirts of Karachi and has 64,400 ha area in theirjurisdiction in the Indus delta, is also collaboratingwith WWF in mangrove conservation in the Korangi-Phitti creek area.

Support is coming from the Balochistan and SindhForest Departments too. The Balochistan forestersdecided to set up their first mangrove nursery (in theMiani Hor area), inspired by the good results of theWWF project’s nurseries. The Sindh ForestDepartment desired WWF-Pakistan to start a new

Pakistani society is undergoing great changes.Unfortunately, one of the areas most resistant to

change seems to be the (lack of) environmentalawareness among high-ranking politicians, asWWF’s Director General Ali Hassan Habib hassignaled. His observation is confirmed by ProfessorSaifullah of the University of Karachi, who says that‘most politicians still think that every drop of freshwater in the sea is a waste.’ Behind these attitudes lievested interests. The large-scale agricultural sector,for example, resists any attempt to impose watercharges and encourage a more efficient watermanagement and better drainage. The reducedfreshwater discharge due to upstream agriculture isone of the main external reasons for the decline ofPakistan’s mangrove forests. Others factors aremarine pollution and the insufficient regulation ofcommercial fishing. Also here, powerful interestsblock efficient legislation and enforcement.

But on the ground, be it in the communities or atdistrict and provincial level, far more change isevident. The recent decentralization of somegovernment power to the district level creates newopportunities. This level of government seems to beless controlled by vested interests and moreaccessible to poor communities. Communitycapacity development will enable villages to demandimproved services from the newly created districtgovernments.

SAVING PAKISTAN'S GREEN GOLD CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE COASTAL FOREST AREAS• 22 •

To conclude

‘Policy makers still think every dropof fresh water in the sea is a waste.’

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proudly say that it’s their own forest. ‘That is achange of attitude which will be very valuable inhelping us to achieve our goals.’

Accepting the need for an integrated conservationand development approach has been a learningprocess for WWF-Pakistan too. ‘The first years wewere only talking about mangroves,’ says ProjectManager Ali Hasnain. ‘We learned a lot about how toaddress the biological constraints on managing andregenerating mangroves, but a major gap was that thehuman and poverty issues were not sufficientlyaddressed.’The lessons learned stood as the basis ofthe formulation of the new project proposal. The EU-funded project will put a focus on the overalllivelihood of the community, and treat thesustainable management of natural resources as partof this. Addressing the most critical livelihoodconstraints, such as the debt trap (by stimulatingmicro credit schemes) and lack of value-added fromfishing (by promoting more sustainable fishingmethods) is included in the new project setup.

‘We aim to combine practical work with carefullytargeted advocacy,’ says Hasnain. ‘That is alsosomething we’ve learned in the first mangroveproject: you should grab the opportunities to linkwith others and create partnerships. Not only with thelocal communities, but also with other importantstakeholders.’ Realizing the need for soundenvironmental policy as well as efficient povertyreduction in Pakistan means working withgovernment in the first place, at all levels. In the end,groundwork has to be complemented by work on thetop. ▲

conservation project in the Indus Delta, having seenthe successful approach in Balochistan. Therepresentative of this Forest Department praisedWWF-Pakistan for ‘providing a model with thesemangrove conservation activities, for us, forthemselves and for any other organization.’Theresult of these activities, he said, is that local people



• 23 •

The Mangrove Conservation Project in the Balochistan/Sindh areas was started by WWF-Pakistan in1997.The project was supported by the Netherlands Government (DGIS), through WWFInternational, with a contribution of US$ 1,328 million for a five-year period.WWF-Pakistansucceeded in finding new funding for the continuation of several elements of this project (and startingsome new activities) after the end of the DGIS-WWF contribution. In March 2003 the EuropeanCommunity, with the support of WWF-UK, began contributing to a series of activities (Tackling Povertyin Pakistan's Coastal Communities through the Sustainable Coastal Livelihood) in Sandspit andSonmiani Bay - and the new project locations Keti Bunder (Sindh) and Kalmat Khor (Balochistan).TheEU contribution of 731,250 Euro is intended for a four-year period. Also, a Mangrove Conservationproject at Sandspit (through the promotion of sustainable livelihood) is supported by HRH PrinceBernard of the Netherlands with a contribution of US$ 150,000 for a two-year period. Finally, inSeptember 2003, WWF-Pakistan and the Shell oil company launched a three-year project forupgrading the mangroves located in the outskirts of Karachi in the Indus Delta.The contribution ofShell Pakistan amounts to Rs 3,25 million (some US$ 57,000).WWF-Pakistan is still searching for possibilities to make the Wetland Centre financially sustainable. Itis estimated that US$ 50,000 would be required annually for its operation.WWF-Pakistan aims toestablish an Endowment Fund or Trust Fund of US$ 500,000 for this.

Funding

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Acknowledgements

All texts written by Hans van de Veen of Bureau M&O Environment & Development Productions

© WWF May 2004

Published by the DGIS-ICD Programme based at WWF International.For further copies contact Chantal Page, DGIS-ICD ProgrammeWWF International, Avenue de Mont Blanc 27, 1196 Gland, SwitzerlandTel: +41 22 364 90 34, Fax +41 22 364 0640, E-mail: [email protected]

All pictures by Bureau M&O, except for those on pages 4, 5 and 22Layout and design: MMS Grafisch Werk, Amsterdam,The Netherlands Production: Bureau M&O, Amsterdam,The Netherlands

This publication receives outside financing. Citation is encouraged. Shorts excerpts may betranslated and/or reproduced without prior permission, on the condition that the source isindicated. For translation and/or reproduction in whole,WWF International should be notified inadvance. Responsibility for the contents and for the opinions expressed rest solely with theauthor; this publication does not constitute an endorsement by WWF International or thefinancier.The material and the geograpical designations in this magazine do not imply theexpression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WWF concerning the legal status of anycountry, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

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