Maritime Minister urges recognition of traditional knowledge in coastal policy

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry has urged for the recognition of traditional ecological knowledge practiced by local coastal communities in Pakistan, stating that it can enhance climate adaptation, marine conservation, and sustainable fisheries. Speaking on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the minister emphasized the significance of traditional and Indigenous knowledge systems, highlighting the generations of knowledge that coastal communities have accumulated about tides, fishing grounds, marine species, weather patterns, mangroves, and coastal ecosystems.

He further noted that traditional knowledge is not just a relic of the past, but a living resource that can contribute to climate resilience and sustainable fisheries. Chaudhry also pointed out that coastal communities from Karachi and the Indus Delta to Gwadar and Jiwani are heavily reliant on fisheries, mangroves, wetlands, and other marine resources.

He acknowledged that fishing communities in Karachi's coastal settlements are under increasing pressure from urbanization, pollution, and habitat degradation, while those in the Indus Delta are facing freshwater shortages, saline intrusion, erosion, and shifting fisheries.

Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.