Pakistan secures $3 million to protect marine biodiversity, reform fisheries
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
A man walks across a pedestrian bridge over the polluted waters at the Fish Harbour on World Environment Day in Karachi, Pakistan, on June 5, 2025. (REUTERS)
- Global Environment Facility funding will help improve the monitoring of coastal and marine ecosystems
- Fisheries contribute about 1 percent to Pakistan’s GDP but are a critical livelihood source in coastal areas
KARACHI: Pakistan has secured $3 million in funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to conserve marine biodiversity and shift toward sustainable and regenerative fisheries management, Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said on Saturday.
The funding, drawn from the GEF Trust Fund, will support a project aimed at strengthening fisheries governance, reducing environmental damage, and improving monitoring of coastal and marine ecosystems. Of the total amount, $1.2 million will finance biodiversity interventions, while $1.8 million will address land degradation linked to coastal and marine areas.
“Our sector faces overfishing, high post-harvest losses, and illicit practices that strain marine environments,” Chaudhry said in a statement. “With 701 boats in tuna fishing, mostly artisanal with some semi-industrial, unselective methods and poor onboard storage lead to waste and lost market opportunities.”
“Pakistan, a key player in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and aligned with G16 like-minded coastal states, struggles with unreliable data, weak regulations, and over 70 unofficial landing sites that hinder monitoring, control and policy-making,” he added.
The minister said the program would focus on data collection, policy reform, infrastructure upgrades, capacity building and improved market access, while advancing commitments such as reducing fishing effort, expanding Marine Protected Areas and cutting bycatch.
GEF, which finances environmental initiatives under major global conventions including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), supports projects in biodiversity, climate change, international waters and land degradation.
Fisheries contribute about 1 percent to Pakistan’s GDP but are a critical source of livelihoods in coastal areas.
Chaudhry said the initiative was designed to modernize the fisheries sector, improve the livelihoods of fisherfolk and align Pakistan’s marine management practices with national and international environmental commitments.
Reference Link:- https://www.arabnews.com/node/2633064/pakistan
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
