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dence to suggest that as mangrovesare able to absorb 70-90% of theenergy from a normal wave, theyacted as viable buffers during the2006 Tsunami catastrophe.Fig. 39the green turtle Nesting habitat –hawksbay/Sandspit Beach EcoSystem34Directory of Asian Wetlands(Source: SHEHRI-CBE)turtle Nesting places2009 (Sep)0 155 310 620 930 Metersthe Sandspit/hawksbayecosystem- threatenedhabitatTo provide an idea of the ecologicalrichness and sensitivity of theKarachi coastline a brief outline isbeing provided of the natural backwaterhabitat of the Sandspit/Hawksbay beach ecosystem. Someof the main wetland sites on Karachicoast that have been identified asWetlands of International Importanceand include the Sandspit/Hawksbay area. The area has alreadybeen included in the Directoryof Asian Wetlands. A large areaof Sandspit/Hawksbay back waterssupports dense mangrove vegetationcomprising Avicennia marinaspecies of mangroves.The back waterscontain a very rich and complexfood web of algae, invertebrates livingin the mud, such as worms,shrimps,crabs and juvenile fish.Many water birds are to be found inthis area,especially herons,waderssuch as stints,sandpipers,redshanks,avocetsand black wingedstilts, and hawks such as ospreys,and brahminny kites.The ecosystemis one of the most important areasfor wintering, passage and summeringshorebirds in Pakistan,and alsosupports significant numbers of cormorants,flamingoes,ducks,gullsandterns. 34Sea Turtles enjoy a protected statusin Pakistan. Virtually all the marineturtles nesting sites in Sindh occuron the Hawksbay/Sandspit beaches,concentrated along one 5 kmstretch but extending in some degreealong the entire beach strip ofaround 20 km. These two beachesrepresent the largest nesting habitatfor marine turtles in Pakistan wherethe dominant resident turtle is thegreen turtle. Due to various humanactivities the habitat and green turtlesare already threatened .There is a direct link between possibleclimate change scenarios andsustainability of turtle nesting andbreeding. Sea level rise can result inreducing the available beach habitat.In addition to rising sea levels,climate change is also likely to resultin further increases in the temperatureof the sand, which could alterA nesting green turtle at the Sandspit beachShehri-CBE57