PESHAWAR - Former chief conservator wildlife KP Dr Mumtaz Malik on Monday said that highly vulnerable to climate change, Pakistan like other developing countries was also confronted to environmental and weather variation challenges making an adverse effect on around 786 wildlife and biodiversity resources having a vital role in food chain.
The erratic variations in the weather patterns mostly witnessed in the South Asian countries including Pakistan in recent years were making negative effects on biodiversity and wildlife conservation programmes besides an adverse impact on their flora and habitats.
“The evolving weather changes embedded in climate change include erratic rainfalls, flash floods, storms, intense drought, heat-waves, rising sea, melting of glaciers, inconsistent snowfalls and extreme cold conditions have endangered many wildlife species especially in wetland areas in South Asian countries including Pakistan,” said Dr Mumtaz Malik, former chief conservator wildlife KP while talking to APP.
He said Pakistan was among 10 countries highly vulnerable to climate change where wildlife’s habitats especially of aquatic species were shrinking mostly at wet lands besides posing serious threats to shark and whale fish, reptiles and others water animals.
The wildlife expert said climate change had endangered about 90 different wildlife species with some near to extinction. The endangered species include Siberian crane, white backed vulture, long-billed vulture, red-headed vulture, saker and peregrine falcons and hawksbill sea turtle.
Kashmir grey langur, indus dolphin, finback whale, Balochistan bear, musk deer, hog deer, pangolin, Egyptian vulture, green turtle and narrow-headed turtle were also endangered by the climate change.
Dr Mumtaz said around 786 wildlife species found in Pakistan including 186 reptiles and 173 mammals, and that about 90 species including 50 mammals, 27 birds and 17 reptiles were placed in categories of endangered, vulnerable and near to extinction.
He said Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) had declared common leopard, snow leopard, Ladakh Urial, greater spotted eagle, fish eagle, houbara bustard, crowned river turtle, soft-shell turtle and many other mammals, birds and reptiles were vulnerable to extinction.
“Floods and drought destroy wildlife’s flora at their grazing ground especially in wet lands and high alpine pasture areas. Resultantly, they come down to lower areas for food thus exposing themselves to illegal hunting.”
He said the frequency of migratory birds was also affected by climate change overseas where habitats of houbara and cranes were also disturbed.
While terming the Billion Trees Afforestation Project an important initiative in the green sector, he said, “Preference may be given to plantation of indigenous species to increase flora and vegetation for an endangered wild species besides strengthening their habitats for breeding.”
To combat climate change, he said, “We need to increase protected areas, flora of wildlife, curbing illegal hunting and trade of wild animals and monitoring of their habitats besides diverting financial resources for strengthening of wildlife conservation and protection programs.”
Latifur Rehman, spokesman of environment, forest and wildlife department told APP that under wildlife biodiversity act 2015, three new national parks including Nizampur Nowshera, Malakandi and Kamalban Manshera, six conservancies at Mankyal and Kalam Swat, Turchtor Koh Chitral, Kumrat Dir Upper, Dir Kohistan and Koh-e-Suleman D I Khan, six game reserves at Gujar Banar, Mandor Swat, Dilan Hangu, Haryan Kot Malakand, Kamatmekhaillaki Lakki Marwat and Cheena Gul Hangu and four Himalayan to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Bar Qalabaish Banar Swat, Mangal Thana and Malaka-e-Maha Banar Buner and Minkyal Haripur were established during last four years in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As a result, he claimed that KP’s wildlife protected area that was only 10.22 percent prior to 2018, was increased to 15.61 percent in 2022. To counter wildlife smuggling, he said six mobile and 11 permanent check-posts and six joint check posts with the forest department were set up besides recovering heavy fines from wildlife offenders after posting illegal hunting videos on social media