An event where not only the villagers of their field are present but also they have the passion to teach. One such workshop which received an invitation from WWF Pakistan.
The number of environmental journalists can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand. In an effort to address the growing environmental and climatic issues, Jatt WWF Pakistan and Shabina Faraz, a well-known environmental writer, added eight months to the workshop by incorporating photojournalism into their efforts. Climate change, efforts to rehabilitate mangroves, and talking to colleagues about environmental issues in Sindh and Balochistan proved to be a rare opportunity.
In a two-day workshop organized by WWF Pakistan, experts spoke on Pakistan's meteorological and environmental issues, their solutions, and anticipation of future threats. Representatives of electronic and social media, including journalists from Sindh and Balochistan, attended the event. Highlighting Pakistan's diverse environment and the threats it poses, WWF Sindh, Balochistan Regional Head Dr Tahir Rasheed, environmental journalist Shabina Faraz, mobile journalism expert Ayaz Imtiaz, social media trainer Hassan Zia, Arab News' Nemat and Leading journalist Sedrah Dar and others addressed the gathering.
Dr Tahir Rasheed emphasized the importance of journalists in raising public awareness on the subject of environment. He said that Pakistan is one of the countries where nature has given a diverse way of life, but in Pakistan ruthless hunting is considered a hobby and its pictures are uploaded on social media. Pakistan has the best environmental laws that need to be enforced.
Shabina Faraz said that in the world's second largest Indus Delta, the dangers of rising sea levels, unavailability of agricultural land, relentless cutting of tamer and extinction of fish and prawns are increasing. The date palm is considered a safe haven for marine life. Highlighting environmental journalism, he said that it was the responsibility of a journalist to be fully aware of the environmental issues around him and to report. Calling plastic a threat, he called for the use of paper and cloth bags. He also shared his professional experiences.
Saeed, a spokesman for WWF Pakistan, told the audience that there used to be a total of 4.5 million hectares of date forests in Pakistan. Cutting down their timber for fuel reduced their number to just 85,000 hectares, but now, with the help of locals, their number has grown to 250,000 hectares. In this regard, the locals are trained to make plants and then they are bought and planted.
On this occasion, Ayaz Imtiaz Khan, an expert in mobile journalism, apprised the journalists of the importance of mobile journalism in the future and provided information on the use of useful techniques and tools in this regard. He said that time is fast becoming digital as a result of which the provision of information is not limited to news only. Thanks to easy access to and use of social media, everyone can now play the role of writer, camera person, editor, anchor and publisher.
Abdul Rehman, in-charge of wetland mangrove forest, said that wetlands are very important in Pakistan, behind it is the backwater channel and in front is the sea. It is home to birds and a variety of animals. On the second day of the workshop, participants were rewarded by making video clips based on the technique of photojournalism on the subject of environment as a tree planting and activity.
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