National Eco-Security System Pakistan (NESS-Pak) established

The Preparatory Committee for National Eco-Security System Pakistan (NESS-Pak) was established, to be hosted by the Dairy Science Park (DSP) at Peshawar. The Preparatory Committee NESS-SC Pakistan will be headed by Prof M Subhan Qureshi as President and Prof Sher Bahadar Khan would work as Secretary. The Preparatory Committee will work with Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM) to establish the NESS Research Center (NESS-RC) . The decision was made in an online meeting with the senior executives of NESS-International Science Network (ISN), Mr. Dexin Tian, Founder, Chief Scientist and Secretary General of NESS-ISN and Dr. Yan Xie, International Coordinator of NESS-ISN and Associate Research Professor, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“One Target – An Eco-Security for All: Haikou Initiative” was launched during the 2022 NESS International Science Congress. Prof M Subhan Qureshi, President DSP supported the initiative.

NESS-ISN Haikou Forestry Bureau, and Hainan Normal University, together with the other 22 co-organizers, sponsored the first NESS International Science Congress and Workshop on An Eco-Security System for All People in Haikou, Hainan Province, China, between 18th and 19th November, 2022. The Congress reached the following consensus: “an Eco-Security System for All People”.

Several global reports warn that the current global ecological crisis has severely threatened the long-term survival of human beings. The opposition, conflict, and social division caused by various factors make it difficult for human beings to gather strength and unite to deal with the deteriorating ecological disaster. Humanity has once again found themselves standing at a crucial crossroads. At the 2017 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to the international community a Chinese plan: “Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind (CSFM) to achieve win-win sharing”. The concept of building a CSFM has been written into many resolutions of the UN and is recognized and endorsed by more and more countries. “An Eco-Security System for All People” – that is the Ecological Security conditions necessary for survival of human beings, and National Eco-Security Systems (NESS) that each country builds at the national level in order to maintain Eco-Security for its own people – are the guarantee bottom-line and an important cornerstone of CSFM.

The 2022 NESS Congress proposed to the international scientific community and scientists from all over the world the following initiative call: i) the scientists, universities, scientific research institutes and other institution in various countries to pay close attention to the Eco-Security bottom-line necessary for the long-term survival of the children of ourselves and our own countries, and to actively support and participate in relevant scientific research and collaborative actions in their countries and; ii) the international scientific community, universities, research institutions, and international organizations to pay attention to the Eco-Security targets needed for the sustainable survival of all children and mankind around the world, form consensus and actively support and participate in relevant scientific research collaborations and joint actions around the theme of establishing “an Eco-Security System for All” .

The following guidelines were agreed upon, in the online meeting between DSP and NESS-ISN representatives for NESS Pakistan: i) Eco-security concept would be introduced among local community and public/private support organisations. Food security initiatives would be integrated with eco-security to conserve the local animals and plants, against the invasive high yielding breeds and varieties. Social support would be attracted to support the protected area systems of biodiversity; Biorisk Management initiated under the DSP would continue to protect public health and the environment. Entrepreneurship development across the food value chain would be promoted to help the local community in finding access to quality foods and decent employment. Policy guidelines would be developed to support pastures, ranges and forest areas for better productivity, avoiding environmental hazards; ii) Joint actions would be launched involving multiple stakeholders from various disciplines to reach the ultimate goals of “An Eco-Security System for All People (ESSAP)”. ESSAP calls each country to maintain Eco-Security for its own people as the guarantee bottom-line and an important cornerstone of CSFM; iii) the Eco-Security System would be split into five Components as follows: i) Environment Security; ii) Biological Diversity; iii) Food Security; iv) Public Health Security and; v) Livelihood Security.

2024 NESS Congress was attended by Prof Qureshi and Prof Sher. Country Report Pakistan was presented and a paper on species biodiversity was contributed at the Species Forum by Prof Qureshi. Both the Scientists were notfied as members of the International Editorial Committee of NESS-ISN.

Participation would be attracted from more professional disciplines and segments of the society on institutional and individual basis as Supporters of NESS-Pak. Scientists would be invited to promote scientific research and cooperative actions on the Eco-Security bottom-line necessary for the long-term survival of people and joint actions to reach the Eco-Security goal needed for the survival of all mankind.