The Living Indus: Managing Climate Change through Ecological Restoration

The 'Living Indus' project seeks USD 25 million in GCF grants to implement a programmatic framework for ecological restoration in Pakistan. The initiative focuses on two pillars: governance, which includes the creation of a 'Living Indus Act' and provincial masterplans, and investment, targeting the Sindh Province. Planned interventions include restoring mangrove and riverine forests, rehabilitating wetlands, and promoting climate-smart agriculture such as biosaline farming. The project aims to benefit 1.18 million direct beneficiaries and remove approximately 2.9 million tCO2eq through carbon sequestration in restored forests.

• The project requests USD 25 million in GCF grants, with an indicative total project cost of USD 28 million, including potential co-financing from the Government of Pakistan and philanthropic organizations.
• The project's governance pillar aims to establish a 'Living Indus Act' to govern land and water resources and pollution management, effectively enshrining the Indus River as a legal entity.
• Investment activities will focus on the Sindh Province, targeting the restoration of mangrove forests in the Indus Delta (Badin, Thatta, and Sujawal districts) and riverine forests across eleven districts including Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Larkana.
• The project expects to achieve a minimum mitigation impact of 2,903,939 tCO2eq, derived from the restoration of at least 787 hectares of mangrove forest and 24,320 hectares of riverine forest.
• Adaptation efforts target 1.184 million direct beneficiaries and 14 million indirect beneficiaries, with a specific focus on the most vulnerable people and ecosystem services.
• The project will promote climate-resilient agriculture, specifically biosaline agriculture in marginal lands of Sindh, which has a projected Economic Internal Return on Investment of 14.3 percent.
• The Indus Delta is highly vulnerable, with an estimated 88.3% of the area affected by subsurface seawater intrusion and 78% of natural surface water bodies unfit for drinking or irrigation due to salinity.
• The project identifies a significant financing gap for adaptation in Pakistan, estimating total needs between 2023 and 2030 at approximately USD 152 billion.

APA

Green Climate Fund (n.d.). The Living Indus: Managing Climate Change through Ecological Restoration. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/29990-living-indus-managing-climate-change-through-ecological-restoration.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. The Living Indus: Managing Climate Change through Ecological Restoration. n.d. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/29990-living-indus-managing-climate-change-through-ecological-restoration.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=The Living Indus: Managing Climate Change through Ecological Restoration |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/29990-living-indus-managing-climate-change-through-ecological-restoration.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefundndliving, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{The Living Indus: Managing Climate Change through Ecological Restoration}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/29990-living-indus-managing-climate-change-through-ecological-restoration.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }