Pakistan

MFF is assisting Pakistan to adopt an Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) approach by introducing appropriate ICM tools and mechanisms. MFF Pakistan aims to initiate conservation, rehabilitation and development activities based on ICM to ensure equitable sharing of benefits that will safeguard the country’s coastal environment and the livelihoods of its inhabitants.

Another priority is to develop mechanisms for public-private partnerships to acquire sustained and equitable economic benefits from coastal development; and to stimulate policy commitment towards achieving the sustainability of ICM programmes.

Pakistan’s biodiverse and economically important coastal ecosystems are under pressure from harbour dredging, land reclamation, and solid waste and sewage disposal. They are also vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In the face of these challenges, Pakistan’s National Strategy and Action Plan provides an opportunity for implementing an ICM programme that will safeguard the coastal environment and the livelihoods of its inhabitants.

MFF’s approach in Pakistan is not to replace or compete with national policies, programmes and strategies for managing coastal areas, but rather to use them as a framework for action. Wherever appropriate, and in line with national policy priorities, MFF aims to strengthen or complement existing mechanisms. Through comparative studies, workshops and networking, MFF also links Pakistan to the regional flow of information and experience, and facilitates joint action on issues of mutual concern.