LAHORE: Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan), in collaboration with Islamia University Bahawalpur and WWF-Pakistan, is organising the first moot on Desert Conservation (DESERTCON 2015).
A 20-member youth group left for Cholistan to attend the moot, which is being technically supported by the Cholistan Development Authority, Bahawalpur Museum, Forests and Wildlife departments, Pakistan Council for Research on Water Resources (PCRWR), and Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan.
The inaugural ceremony of the moot, chaired by the Vice Chancellor, would be arranged at the old campus of the Islamia University Bahawalpur today (Monday).
The main speakers include Dr Masood Arshad, Senior Manager WWF, Dr Shazia Anjum, Head of the Cholistan Institute of Desert Studies (CIDS), Dr Fazal Shah, Divisional Forest Officer, Irfan Farooqi, Dy Director Wildlife, Hussain Ahmad Madni, Director Bahawalpur Museum, Rana Shahid Nadeed, Director, Cholistan Development Authority.
Munir Ahmed, Director Decom-Pakistan and founder of the DESERTCON, talking to this scribe said that the moot would engage 60 students from different universities and community youth from the Cholistan desert.
It is a thrilling initiative to engaging urban and rural youth, civil society, technical experts, government departments, academia and media at one platform to initiate inclusive desert conservation strategies based on collective vision and wisdom.
Munir Ahmed said the deserts of the world are threatened by a combination of human exploitation and climate change that could, within decades, wipe out many unique habitats and rare species.
Deserts account for up to 25 per cent of the Earth’s land surface, are home to half a billion people and account for 12 per cent of the biodiversity “hotspots” – the richest areas in terms of rare animals and plants.
WWF Director General Hammad Naqi Khan lauded the initiative and believed that the moot would be the first strong initiatives to engage urban and the community youth to push forward the desert development strategies.
