World Habitat Day reminds us that healthy habitats are essential for healthy communities and a resilient future. In Pakistan, rapid urbanisation, pollution, deforestation, water scarcity and climate change are placing growing pressure on both natural and human habitats. From the wetlands of Islamabad and the waters of Rawal Lake to the forests of the Margalla…
As dawn breaks over the Margalla Hills, golden light spills across forested slopes that have long defined Islamabad’s skyline. Beneath towering pines, barbets, bulbuls, and laughing thrushes fill the morning air with birdsong, while beyond the hills, the city’s expanding roads and concrete neighborhoods awaken to the familiar rhythm of traffic. Read More: Climate change…
Recently Pakistan’s first National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, covering 2025–2035, came against a backdrop of severe depletion of shark and other elasmobranch resources and persistent gaps in fisheries monitoring. A 2025 study published in the Pakistan Journal of Zoology recorded 1.99 million sharks belonging to 41 species at four…
The world’s oceans have reached an unprecedented level of warmth, providing another stark indicator of the accelerating climate crisis. On 22 August 2026, the global average sea-surface temperature across the extra-polar oceans reached a record 21.1°C, narrowly surpassing the previous record of 21.09°C set in March 2024, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. More…
The adoption of the Ulaanbaatar Declaration marks an important shift in the global land agenda: from recognising the role of cities and regions to seeking their sustained participation in implementation. For decades, desertification, land degradation and drought have largely been addressed through national policies and international negotiations, even though many decisions shaping land, water and…
As the world marks Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day on Saturday, Pakistan’s network of protected marine zones is gaining recognition as a key tool for safeguarding biodiversity, supporting coastal livelihoods and strengthening climate resilience. Observed annually on August 1, MPA Day is a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness about Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) often…
Mangrove restoration in Pakistan’s Indus Delta is showing measurable gains, with project-area analysis recording a 33.64 per cent increase in mangrove cover between 2020 and 2025. The recovery underscores the role healthy coastal ecosystems can play in strengthening climate resilience, sustaining fisheries, storing blue carbon and creating opportunities in the blue economy. A natural coastal…
The 64th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) concluded in Bonn after two weeks of negotiations aimed at advancing technical work and preparing for political decisions at COP31 later this year. Nearly 200 Parties to the UNFCCC, plus observers, scientists, civil society and financial institutions, took part in…
As climate change strains traditional growth models and land-based resources come under mounting pressure, Pakistan starts turning to the sea for economic renewal. Its oceans, rivers and coastline, long treated as peripheral to national planning, are now being reframed as strategic assets capable of driving sustainable growth under the banner of the blue economy. In…
Along the usually fast-moving Srinagar Highway, where commuters often hurry past without a second glance, a new visual landmark now compels people to slow down if not in speed, then in thought. Rising from a freshly landscaped green patch, a pair of sculpted white hands gently holding a living tree has become one of Islamabad’s…