Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 6.1
The Indus River basin.
The Indus River delta is a highly productive
area for freshwater fauna and an important region
for water birds (Ramsar Convention on Wetlands,
2003). It has been designated as a Ramsar site (a
wetland of international importance) and a wildlife
sanctuary. Before their devastation the riverine
forests of Sindh used to be an ideal habitat for
hog deer (
Axis porcinus
). The Indus is home to
25 amphibian and 147 fish species of which 22
are not found elsewhere in the world. It harbours
the endangered Indus river dolphin (
Platanista
indica
), one of the world's rarest mammals, with
a population of not more than 1100 individuals
(Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 2003; WRI,
2003; WWF, 2010). In Pakistan the 135 km stretch
of the Indus from the Sukkar Barrage to the
Guddu Barrage has been declared a sanctuary for
the Indus dolphin (Gopal, 2000). The delta holds
97% of the total mangrove forests of Pakistan;
nearly 95% of the total mangrove cover in the
