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LCK arranged a talk on Mangrove species "Avicennia Marina" for Kids Summer Club

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Karachi, June 24, 2009 – Children participated in a drawing activity after the talk on Mangrove species delivered by IVLP alumni Ms. Rahat Najam.

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Karachi, June 24, 2009 – Children participated in a drawing activity after the talk on Mangrove species delivered by IVLP alumni Ms. Rahat Najam.

On June 24, 2009, Lincoln Corner Karachi (LCK) facilitated the Kids Summer Club members to become a part of Mangrove Action Project (MAP) by participating in an annual art contest for the MAP calendar. 30 primary school children aged 6 - 15 participated in this program. Karachi coast harbors a very large Mangrove forest with the unique Mangrove species, Avicennia Marina, locally known as "Timmar". Ms. Rahat Jabeen, a leading Environmentalist (IVLP), delivered an orientation to the children before starting the Art contest. During the one-hour presentation she briefed the children on the importance of the mangroves as well as the types and special characteristics of the mangrove forest in Karachi. She explained why mangroves are important for us and why we should protect them. She explained the various benefits / roles of mangroves forest such as: • they provide protection from the storms, floods and cyclones, which are very common along our coastal belt. • they are nursery grounds for shrimp and fishes. • they provide a welcoming habitat for birds • wood of the mangrove tree is used by local people for fuel • mangrove leaves are used by the local communities for fodder, etc. She also discussed the threats posed by human beings to the mangrove forest, such as indiscriminate cutting, freshwater scarcity, pollution, and the dumping of industrial and domestic waste, etc. The session was followed by an interactive question and answer with the students. After the talk the students participated in an art contest entitled, "Why Mangroves are important for me and my community". The entries will be sent to the Calendar Project Coordinator, Mangrove Action Project. This program produced basic awareness of the endangered mangrove forest and enabled the local community to participate in an International Competition.

The significance of this talk and the art contest was to raise environmental awareness among the small and younger element of Pakistani society. The program provided an opportunity for the students to better understand environmental issues from a global perspective, which will help them tackle rising environmental problems within the geographical boundaries of Pakistan.