ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a seminar stressed the urgent need to conserve Pakistan’s mountain ecosystems, noting that they harbour the largest proportion of the country’s endemic plant species and are vital for future generations.
They expressed these views during on the eve of International Mountain Day 2025 organized by Department of Botany and Office of Research, Innovation & Commercialization (ORIC), Pir Mehr Ali Shah Barani Agriculture University Rawalpindi.
Addressing the event, Dean Faculty of Sciences at PMAS-AAUR, Professor Dr. Rahmatullah Qureshi, said Pakistan’s mountain ecosystems hold immense national and global importance due to their rich endemic flora.
He said that Pakistan is home to nearly 6,000 species of flowering plants, including about 500 endemic species, most of which are confined to the Himalayan, Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges.
“These mountain regions serve as evolutionary refugia and support unique genetic resources essential for ecosystem stability, traditional medicine, food security and climate resilience,” he said.
Dr. Qureshi added that such events highlight the collective responsibility to protect natural resources and emphasized the university’s active role in promoting the UN resolution through awareness, research and conservation initiatives focused on mountain biodiversity and sustainable development.
Former Vice Chancellor of Sheikh Ayaz University, Professor Dr. Raza Bhatti, said the Earth’s life-support systems are under increasing pressure due to unsustainable human activities, climate change and habitat loss.
He stressed that biodiversity conservation is crucial to ensure a liveable planet for future generations and underscored the importance of botanical gardens and herbaria in universities as key tools for conservation and education.
Dr. Bhatti also expressed concern over rapid habitat conversion and declining biodiversity, particularly in urban areas. He pointed out that public parks in Islamabad lack educational integration related to nature and culture and urged universities to play an active role in park management and environmental awareness.
Dr. Mahmood Nasir, Former Inspector General of Forests, shared reflections from his lifelong service in forestry and conservation, describing the Forest Department as a frontline institution in safeguarding Pakistan’s natural heritage.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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