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The markhor is a large wild Capra (goat) species native to South Asia and Central Asia, mainly within Pakistan, India, the Karakoram range, parts of Afghanistan, and the Himalayas. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened since 2015.
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The Kaghan Valley is an alpine valley in Balakot Tehsil, Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The valley covers stretches 155 kilometres (96 mi) across northern Pakistan, rising from its lowest elevation of 650 m (2,134 ft) to its highest point at the Babusar Pass around 4,170 m (13,690 ft). Landslides triggered by the devastating 2005 Kashmir earthquake destroyed many passes leading into the valley, though roads have since been rebuilt. Kaghan is a popular tourist attraction in Pakistan.
Ayubia National Park, also known as Ayubia, is a protected area of 3,312 hectares (33 km2) located in Abbottabad District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It was declared a national park in 1984. Ayubia was named after Muhammad Ayub Khan (1958–1969), second President of Pakistan. The area supports temperate coniferous forest and temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion habitats, with an average elevation of 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above sea level. Ayubia National Park is surrounded by seven major villages and three small towns of Thandiani, Nathiagali and Khanspur. The park has been developed as a resort complex from a combination of four mini resorts of Khaira Gali, Changla Gali, Khanspur and Ghora Dhaka in Galyat. Currently, it is managed by the Wildlife and Parks Department of Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Margalla Hills National Park is a national park in Pakistan located in Islamabad Capital Territory, near its northern boundary with Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The park includes the Margalla Hills, which form the foothills of the Himalayas, along with Shakarparian Park and Rawal Lake.
The Neelum River, or Kishanganga River, is a river in the Kashmir region of Pakistan and India. It originates in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir in India, flows through the Neelam Valley in Pakistan's Azad Kashmir, where parts of its course fall along the Line of Control, before merging with the Jhelum River near the city of Muzaffarabad.
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Neelum is a district of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the northernmost of 10 districts located within the Pakistani-administered territory of Azad Kashmir. Taking up the larger part of the Neelum Valley, the district had a population of around 191,000 people. It was among the worst-hit areas of Pakistan during the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.
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Pakistan's native fauna reflect its varied climatic zones. The northern Pakistan, which includes Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, has portions of two biodiversity hotspots, Mountains of Central Asia and Himalayas.
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The forestry sector of Pakistan is a main source of lumber, paper, fuelwood, latex, medicine as well as food and provide ecotourism and wildlife conservation purposes. 4.91% of Pakistan's land is covered in forest. The Shangla district is the only district of Pakistan that composed of more than 80% of forest land.
The ecology of the Himalayas varies with climate, rainfall, altitude, and soils. The climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice and snow at the highest elevations. The amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the southern front of the range. This diversity of climate, altitude, rainfall and soil conditions supports a variety of distinct plant and animal species, such as the Nepal gray langur
Biosphere reserves are established according to the UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) to promote sustainable development for conservation of biological and cultural diversity. As of 2016, the Lal Suhanra Biosphere Reserve and Ziarat Juniper Forest are the only two biosphere reserve in Pakistan, which were approved by UNESCO in 1977 and 2013 respectively. A number of initiatives and projects have been undertaken to promote and develop other biosphere reserves in Pakistan but due to weak implementation this has not yet been materialized. In July 2012, Pakistan Museum of Natural History and Beijing Museum of Natural History signed a MoU to work on trans-boundary biodiversity and to improve MAB related activities in the Karakoram, Himalaya, and Hindukush regions.
The Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF), previously called the Himalayan Wildlife Project, is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization based in Islamabad Pakistan focused on conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage in Pakistan. The Himalayan Wildlife Foundation is widely attributed to have saved the Himalayan Brown Bear from extinction in Pakistan, although it is not yet clear whether enough genetic diversity is available within the current population to sustain the population. The HWF is also involved in other major conservation efforts such as Rohtas Fort Conservation Programme at Rohtas Fort, and community-based management interventions in Gumot National Park, Musk Deer National Park and Neelum Valley in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Efforts of the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation in Pakistan are considered some of the leading efforts in conservation and socioeconomic development in the Himalaya.
The Gurez National Park, also known as Musk Deer National Park, is one of the protected areas of Pakistan. It is located in Neelum District in Azad kashmir, Pakistan, besides the Neelum River in the Gurez valley. It is located in the high Himalayas and Pir Panjal Range. It is a thirty-five minute drive from Gurez tehsil. It is also known as Gurez valley national park.
References
- ↑ "Country Report on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture – Pakistan Food" (PDF). www.parc.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ↑ "National Parks of Pakistan". www.wildlifeofpakistan.com. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ↑ "Machiara National Park". www.wwfpak.org. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ↑ "Boundary Delineation of Machiara National Park" (PDF). wwf.org.pk. WWF. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Distribution and Habitat Mapping of Key Fauna Species in Selected Areas of Western Himalaya, Pakistan" (PDF). thejaps.org.pk. The Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
