Dr. Musadik Malik, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, addressed a World Wetlands Day event at Kinara Park in Bani Gala, Islamabad, urging immediate action on wetlands protection. He stressed that wetlands are not merely water bodies or scenic lakes, but the livelihood of millions of families for whom these ecosystems mean life and survival. The minister emphasized that these resources belong to 99 percent of the population, not an elite few, and must be managed for public benefit.
The minister warned that trees and wetlands together form the country’s largest natural carbon sinks and that protecting them is an indispensable part of climate strategy. With global warming driving rapid glacier melt, Pakistan faces increasing risk of natural disasters; wetlands play a unique role in absorbing carbon and buffering climate impacts. Dr. Malik connected wetlands protection directly to effective national efforts to counter global warming and reduce carbon emissions.
Economically, wetlands protection was presented as a matter of public livelihood. Dr. Malik noted that millions depend on wetland-related work and that destruction of wetlands will directly erase those jobs. Cutting trees, he argued, is not only an environmental loss but an attack on ordinary people’s economy. Protecting both wetlands and forests therefore sustains employment and preserves community resilience.
The minister called for coordinated action by authorities, local communities, and stakeholders to prioritize wetlands protection across Pakistan. He framed the protection of wetlands as a practical, locally rooted way to fight climate change, secure jobs, and safeguard the lives of vulnerable families who rely on these vital ecosystems.
