The goal of the proposed project is to support strategies and initiatives of the provincial government to reduce pervasive poverty by improving livelihoods and facilitating sustainable natural resource management in coastal areas of Karachi, Thatta and Badin districts.
The technical assistance for the project would help the government to improve condition of coastal and marine fisheries and related resources and reduce poverty by improving management of coastal resources and ecosystems and to providing income generation and supplementary/alternative livelihood opportunities.
According to sources, key aspects of the proposed project would include formulation of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) plans and strategies for all three coastal districts; community-based mangrove restoration and rehabilitation programmes most notably along the Thatta coastline.
This will also aim at development of a series of supplementary and/or alternative sources of income and livelihood enhancement opportunities as well as the development of codes of conduct for fishing in coastal and inland areas.
It will also have community mobilisation schemes including specific assistance to fishing communities through credit and saving schemes, which would seek to address the current exploitative "informal" credit system, eg, credit with catch-sale-bondage and credit on high interest.
Sources said for the project, the international consultant expertise would also be required in areas of policy and institutional development, natural resource economics, coastal resources management, coastal fisheries infrastructure development, rural sociology/community development, gender issues, rural infrastructure, farming systems/crop development, fisheries and aquaculture development.