WWF urges nature-based solutions to strengthen Pakistan’s climate resilience

ISLAMABAD: Nature-based solutions must become a central part of Pakistan’s climate adaptation strategy alongside conventional engineering measures, speakers said at a conference hosted by WWF-Pakistan and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society to promote collaborative action on climate resilience.

The event, titled “Collaborative Action for a Resilient Future: Sharing the Nature-based Solution Experiences and Lessons Learned from Pakistan,” brought together government officials, development partners, academics, and civil society representatives to discuss policies, financing and community-led initiatives aimed at strengthening climate resilience.

Addressing the gathering, WWF-Pakistan Director General and Chief Executive Officer Hammad Naqi Khan said nature-based solutions offered practical and cost-effective ways to tackle climate-related challenges.

“We strongly believe that along with pure engineering solutions, there are so many simple, cost-effective, nature-based solutions… to address the challenges related to the climate crisis, including forest fires, climate-smart agriculture, flood risk and drought,” Khan said.

He said WWF-Pakistan and its partners were sharing successful interventions implemented across the country’s mountains, plains and the Indus Delta, adding that communities must play a central role in climate action.

“We can’t fight nature. We have to work with nature,” he said, stressing that hybrid approaches combining engineering and ecosystem-based solutions were essential because Pakistan remained highly vulnerable to climate change.

Pakistan Red Crescent Society Chairperson Farzhana Naek called for greater coordination among stakeholders to strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience.

She said climate-related disasters required a collective response and highlighted young people as key advocates capable of driving sustainable environmental action and community ownership.

Nazifa Butt, director of climate action and sustainability at WWF-Pakistan, said the organization aimed to bring together experiences from local practitioners working across different geographical regions.

“Pakistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries. It is imperative now to have these nature-based solutions embedded into our legal framework and the implementation of projects, including the Nationally Determined Contributions,” she said.

Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Amir Mohyuddin, said that institutional arrangements were being strengthened to support public, private and civil society efforts to adopt nature-based solutions.

“Engineering solutions are also threatened by recurring disasters,” he said, adding that approaches working with natural ecosystems could provide greater long-term resilience.

During the conference, Dr Masood, senior director for landscape and biodiversity at WWF-Pakistan, highlighted successful conservation efforts, including a significant expansion of mangrove forests in the Indus Delta and the recovery of the Indus River dolphin population.

The program also featured technical presentations on nature-based solutions and policy integration.

Speakers emphasized that effective implementation, sustainable financing and community and youth participation would be critical to scaling up nature-based solutions across Pakistan.