Industry leaders and conservation enthusiasts of the corporate world convened in Karachi on February 21, 2023, to celebrate ‘50 Years of Conservation in Pakistan’ to mark WWF-Pakistan’s long-running conservation work.
The event was hosted by Syed Babar Ali, President Emeritus of WWF-Pakistan. The event was attended by more than 150 people from different walks of life including representatives of the corporate sector, WWF-Pakistan’s Goodwill Ambassadors, WWF-Pakistan’s Board of Governors, government officials, media partners, and employees of WWF-Pakistan.
The World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as WWF, is recognized as one of the world’s largest conservation organizations, with a global network active in more than 100 countries. Established in 1970, WWF-Pakistan has been working for over 50 years to conserve nature and ecological processes within the country.
While WWF initially started off as a wildlife conservation organization, it has expanded its work and footprint across Pakistan. Today, the organization’s portfolio spans across six practice areas, namely Wildlife, Forests, Oceans, Freshwater, Climate and Energy, and Food and Markets. Such a breadth of work is a testament to the organization’s success to adapt and ensure that Pakistan’s environmental conservation efforts are able to respond to the growing environmental challenges that the country and its people face in a rapidly changing world.
WWF-Pakistan has a long history of working in partnership with the private sector to find innovative solutions to pressing environmental issues in Pakistan. Over the past 50 years, the organization has spearheaded multiple conservation and environmental successes in Pakistan through field and research work, policy advocacy and lobbying, such as the reintroduction of the endangered Black Bucks at the Lal Suhanra National Park in 1973, community-based trophy hunting program to support the communities of Gilgit Baltistan in 1995, the Pakistan Wetlands Programme in 2000 which culminated in Pakistan’s first National Wetland Policy, and the production of organic cotton through sustainable practices in 2010, just to name a few.
Syed Babar Ali, President Emeritus, WWF-Pakistan, was also present at the occasion and he shared his vision of the organization that he has closely led for more than 50 years.
With WWF, the goal has always been not just wildlife conservation but also the people and making them realize that they have a stake in the conservation process.
He also commented on WWF-Pakistan becoming one of the leading offices in the global network,
Today there are 30 large WWF offices across the globe and I am proud to say that Pakistan is among the top ten. While many would say that we have done a lot, there is still a lot more that needs to be done and WWF-Pakistan strives to lead behavioral change among the people which is truly impactful.
Nadeem Khalid, President WWF-Pakistan, in his opening remarks shed light on the multiple environmental challenges that Pakistan is facing. He stated,
We are amidst an environmental emergency. Our unsustainable practices and disregard for the environment are resulting in these dramatic changes in our climate and environment. To correct our ways we must start at our own homes and adopt practices such as utilizing kitchen wastewater, stopping using single-use plastics, and encouraging tree plantation among other environment-friendly practices.
Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan, highlighted the impact of partnerships in conservation and commented,
WWF-Pakistan’s 50 years are indeed a milestone and this would not have been possible without any of our partners which include academic institutions, government departments, local communities, and corporate partners. The catastrophic events of 2022 are a stark reminder that Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change and the country will continue to face such events and destruction if all the stakeholders do not come together. Our conservation story has a long way to go and we urge all our partners to contribute to it.
Representatives of corporate partners also acknowledged their long-standing relationship and successful partnership with WWF-Pakistan and industry leaders present on the occasion renewed their commitments to taking up sustainability and conservation initiatives such as forest and wildlife conservation, pollution-free cities, freshwater stewardship, and sustainable agriculture.
