The Indus Delta Mangrove forest stretches over 200 kilometers south of Karachi and covers 260,000 hectares.
Mangrove forests are important as they stabilise the shoreline, and protect it from storms.
Around the world fisherman call for the protection of mangroves, as they are fish 'nurseries'. Besides these values, mangroves provide timber, other food sources for humans and animals, and breeding sites for birds and other wildlife. The nearby village Reahri Main has increased its population from 5,000 to 26,000 these last 15 years. The Delta suffers from unchecked pouring of untreated sewage from urban Karachi, industrial pollutants from neighboring factories and oil from tankers. Regulations exist in Pakistan since 1958 to protect specific areas under the control of the Forest Department.