KU Hosts Global Conference On Marine Biodiversity

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Apr, 2025) The Department of Zoology of the University of Karachi organized a three-day long international conference on marine biodiversity, socio-environmental aspects and technology at the KU’s Chinese Teachers Memorial Auditorium on Monday.

The provincial minister of energy, planning and development Syed Nasir Hussain Shah during his addressed reaffirmed the Sindh government’s commitment to protecting coastal areas and preserving mangrove forests.

He emphasized the importance of tackling plastic pollution in marine environments and outlined awareness campaigns launched in coastal regions to promote responsible waste management and reduce plastic use.

He said that the Sindh government has undertaken major initiatives, including a large-scale mangrove restoration project that has gained international recognition and funding. Additionally, strict monitoring has been enforced on industrial waste discharge to ensure compliance with environmental standards.”

He expressed optimism that the conference would yield productive outcomes and requested that its recommendations be sent to him for consideration in budget planning and policymaking.

The KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi expressed that diversity is a very important topic both for scientists and social scientists and researchers and linking how technology is going to help us in terms of dealing with the challenges of marine diversity and socio economic environment.

He noted that only by investing in science and advance scientific fields we can overcome our challenges. The KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi urged that policies should be made to curb the use of plastic bags and all necessary measures should be adopted to implement those policies.

“We need to believe in science instead of myths and focus on finding solutions rather than ignoring problems.”

The event is being co-organized by KU’s Institute of Marine Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Marine Biology, Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization, Institute of Environmental Studies, Department of Botany, Institute of Space Science and Technology, Department of Mathematics, Applied Economics Research Centre, Centre of Excellence for Women’s Studies in collaboration with Sindh Higher education Commission, Higher Education Commission, Islamabad, National Institute of Oceanography, Sindh Wildlife Department, Sindh Livestock and Fisheries, Karachi Port Trust, IUCN, Pakistan Forest Department Sindh government, Bahria University Karachi, National Institute of Maritime Affairs, and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency.

The conference convener, Professor Dr Saleha Rehman, stressed the importance of marine ecosystems, which cover over 71 percent of the planet and face increasing pressures. She explained that marine science is not just about studying water, added that it is a science of survival.

She mentioned that it ensures sustainable fisheries, mitigates coastal threats, restores mangroves, protects native marine species, and empowers women, youth, and marginalized communities as guardians of our marine future.

On the first day of the conference, Azra Meadows from the school of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK, participated in the session and presented her paper on marine science: history, developments, challenges and prospects, another speaker Gi Hoon Hong of State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research (SKLEC), East China, Normal University, Shanghai, China, delivered a lecture on quantifying carbon sequestration in coastal blue carbon ecosystems: a novel approach, Samina Kidwai from National Institute of Oceanography talked about UN ocean decade 2021-2030 and Pakistan: science, policy, governance,- should Pakistan consolidate, coordinate or collaborate? Dr Noreen Aziz Qureshi and others also addressed the gathering during the plenary and technical sessions.