Dr Musadik Malik addressed the World Wetlands Day event at Kinara Park, Jinnah Road, Bani Gala, Islamabad, stressing that wetlands are not just water, lakes and boats but the source of livelihood for millions.
He warned that for families who depend on wetlands it is a question of life and survival and emphasised that these resources belong to 99 percent of the public, not only the elite.
Dr Malik highlighted that trees and wetlands offer environmental protection while supporting public employment, and that destruction of these ecosystems will result in the loss of livelihoods. Cutting trees, he said, is not only harm to the environment but an attack on the economy of ordinary people.
Underlining the climate role of these ecosystems, he noted that trees and wetlands are among the largest natural carbon sinks. With global warming and rising carbon emissions driving glaciers to melt and producing natural disasters, the role of wetlands in carbon uptake is indispensable.
He called for urgent Wetlands Protection, arguing that preserving wetlands is an effective way to counter global warming while protecting the jobs and survival of millions across Pakistan.
