Deh Akro-II
Wetlands Watch
Monthly Newsletter
Vol: 1 No: VI
June 2010
Deh Akro-II Desert Wetland
Complex
Deh Akro-II desert wetland complex
comprises of 36 wetlands and a
complex of four major habitats types,
desert,
wetland,
marsh
and
agricultural lands. The wetland
complex has a unique example of
desert wetland ecosystem that hosts a
variety of rare and endangered
wildlife species. This site supports a
small population of marsh crocodiles.
The desert is characterized by sand
dunes
with
well
developed
herbs/shrubs
and
trees.
The
agricultural land comprises patches of
irrigated agricultural fields lying
adjacent to the desert. In 1988, the
wetland was declared a Wildlife
Sanctuary.
Currently the desert wetlands have
threat of shortage of water or possible
dryness, because the desert wetlands
were getting fresh water from the
Nara and Jamrau Canals through
seepage, but the seepage was stopped
due to the construction of new Jamrau
canal, which has a flow below the
level of wetlands. Due to stoppage of
fresh water flow and seepage, the
water of most wetlands got into
saltish. Due to saltishness of wetlands
water has resulted into considerable
loss of marine biodiversity as well as
biodiversity wholly solely depending
on wetlands. If fresh water supply
would not be provided to wetlands, it
would be a great loss of biodiversity.
Grazing: Serious Threat to
Biodiversity of Deh Akro-II
The majority of the folk community is
poor and depending on livestock
rearing in order to fulfilling their basic
needs of life. It has been observed that
due to have no proper rangeland
management awareness in the folk
community, they rear their livestock
on wetlands in to and fro degrading
and destroying natural resources on
wetlands.
But when drought occur in the desert
wetland area, the local community
start over using and utilizing even
already degraded natural resources of
wetlands, which ultimately destroys
wetland resources and fauna habitats.
However, due to degradation and
over usage of resources, not merely
the livestock of the local community
suffers in drought conditions but also
a major threat to wetlands biodiversity
especially for fauna species.
Meanwhile, SANGAT Development
Foundation team has been taking all
possible efforts to mobilize and
sensitize to the folk community of Deh
Akro-II that they should properly
utilize the natural resources of
wetlands, but focus on selected areas
for their livestock rearing as the
wetland resources could be made safe
from the over exploitation and
degradation.
However, there is need of separate
comprehensive community awareness
program for rangeland management
in Deh Akro-II.
Wood Cutting and
Deforestation Issues in
Deh Akro-II Wetland Complex
The wood cutting and deforestation
are one of the main threats to the
wetlands fauna and flora species as
well as basic livelihood resources of
the local folk community.
Wetland tree species has two types of
threats; one from the local people who
are involved in the wood cutting, the
wood is used for cooking and fulfilling
other household needs and also some
cases for sell to meet their basic needs
of daily life.
Second major threat is from the timber
and wood mafia which bent upon
deforestation practices and seemed
busy in cutting the local tree species
such as babul, kandi etc from Deh
Akro-II for last couple of years.
It is witnessed that the local and outsider
influential persons have been involved in
deforestation of Deh Akro-II since last
couple of years. Due to large scale
deforestation and chopping down local
tree species from the wetlands by the local
community and wood mafia has almost
destroyed not only habitats of fauna
species which were living on wetlands for
many decades but also an ecological
disaster for this international wildlife
sanctuary.
However, there is need of long term
community based concerted efforts for
biodiversity conservation as well as
reforestation and protection, especially of
local and rare plant species in Deh Akro-II
desert wetlands through developing
alternative livelihood means for the local
community.
Deh Akro-II
Biodiversity Revives
The integrated efforts made by
SANGAT Development Foundation
with support of Indus for All
Programme, WWF Pakistan, through
involving wetlands community in the
biodiversity
conservation
and
protection, have started producing its
results in the area.
The local community living on
surroundings of Chhachh wetland has
adopted
the
community
based
biodiversity conservation and protection
approaches. The local folk community
constituted local wetland protection
committees as playing role of Watch and
Ward bodies in their respective areas.
They have now realizing the importance
of the wetlands and their natural
resources and expressed their full
commitment to join and strengthen
rehabilitation efforts already being
taking by SANGAT Development
Foundation with support of Sindh
Wildlife
Department
and
WWF
Pakistan.
But due to large area of Deh Akro-II
desert wetland complex, which is
consisting on desert dunes, very
difficult to cover it within limited
resources, despite having difficult
conditions, SANGAT team has been
making its all possible efforts to bring
back the past glory of Deh Akro-II
desert wetlands complex, where deer
and hog deer were once identity of this
natural wildlife heritage.
Deh Akro-II Habitats in
Recovering and Reviving
Process
Due to large scale degradation and
destruction of natural habitats on
wetlands as well as in Deh Akro-II
wildlife sanctuary, has either vanished
away the local fauna species or
compelled them to run away from the
local area in order to save their lives
and new generation.
The local and outsider wood mafias
have grossly violated the rules and
regulation of Wildlife Sanctuary and
incurred considerable losses in Deh
Akro-II desert wetland complex.
SANGAT Development Foundation team
has been strongly focusing on the
protection and revival of tree species in
Deh Akro-II in order to provide at first
hand protection places and suitable
habitats to the fauna species, which either
left the wildlife sanctuary or surviving
under vulnerable conditions.
In this regard, villages based mobilization
meetings were held with local community
in order get them realized on the
importance of the tree species as sole
source of survival of the wildlife animals
in Sanctuary.
The local community has greatly realized
the importance of the tree species and
joined the efforts of the SANGAT team for
the protection and conservation of tree
plants in the area. The collective efforts of
local community and SANGAT team for
the protection and conservation of local
tree species as well as providing suitable
habitats to the wildlife animals produced
its results and wildlife sanctuary is in its
revitalization phase.