Pakistan declares its third marine protected area, but has a long way to go

In September, Pakistan declared its third marine protected area, around Miani Hor Lagoon on the country’s central coast.The biodiversity-rich lagoon hosts a lush mangrove forest, numerous bird species and threatened marine mammals.Conservationists welcomed the new marine protected area as a baby step toward meeting the country’s so-called 30×30 commitment to protect 30% of its land and sea by 2030. However, the new addition puts Pakistan’s total protected marine area at just 0.23% of its marine and coastal jurisdiction.The scope of protections for the new protected area remains to be determined. Local people expressed concern that restrictions could upend the livelihoods of the local community, which depends on the lagoon and mangroves and already lacks basic necessities.

KARACHI — On Sept. 2, the government of Balochistan province in Pakistan declared the country’s third marine protected area, around Miani Hor Lagoon on the country’s central coast. The biodiversity-rich lagoon hosts a lush mangrove forest, numerous bird species and threatened marine mammals.

With the declaration of the Miani Hor Marine Protected Area (MPA), Pakistan takes another step toward achieving Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Diversity Framework, to protect 30% of its land and sea by 2030, also known as the 30×30 initiative. It’s a very small step, however: With the addition of the not-quite 43-square-kilometer (16.5-square-mile) Miani Hor MPA, Pakistan’s total protected marine area measures 542 km2 (209 mi2), or just 0.23% of the 240,000 km2 (92,660 mi2) of marine and coastal area under the country’s jurisdiction.