Maritime Minister urges recognition of traditional knowledge in coastal policy

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has urged for the acknowledgment of traditional ecological knowledge utilized by coastal communities in Pakistan, asserting that it can bolster climate adaptation, marine conservation, and sustainable fisheries. In a statement commemorating the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the minister underscored the broader significance of traditional and Indigenous knowledge systems and their preservation across generations.

He stated that coastal communities had amassed generations of knowledge concerning tides, fishing zones, marine species, weather patterns, mangroves, and coastal ecosystems. "Traditional knowledge is not merely a legacy of the past. It is a living resource that can contribute to climate resilience and sustainable fisheries," Chaudhry noted.

He highlighted that coastal communities spanning from Karachi and the Indus Delta to Gwadar and Jiwani remained heavily reliant on fisheries, mangroves, wetlands, and other marine resources. The minister stated that fishing communities in Karachi's urban areas were facing mounting pressures from urbanization, pollution, and habitat degradation, while those in the Indus Delta were grappling with freshwater scarcity, saline intrusion, erosion, and shifting fisheries.