Location
Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Naltar Valley close to Hunza Valley, a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, about 45 km (28 mi) from the city of Gilgit. [2]
The Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Naltar Valley near Nomal, in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. [1] The sanctuary was created on 22 November 1975 and consists of a steep-sided forested valley with high mountains on either side. The sanctuary is home to a number of large mammals, including a small number of Astor markhor.
Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Naltar Valley close to Hunza Valley, a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, about 45 km (28 mi) from the city of Gilgit. [2]
Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary was designated as a protected area on 22 November 1975. It occupies an area of 27,206 hectares (67,230 acres) and adjoins two other protected areas, Sher Quillah Game Reserve and Pakora Game Reserve, the total area of all three being over 50,000 hectares (120,000 acres). Naltar Valley is a fluvio-glacial valley with a U-shaped cross section higher up and a V-shaped cross section lower down. It is aligned from northwest to southeast and has high mountains on either side. The sanctuary extends from the valley floor up to 5,900 m (19,400 ft) at Shanni Glacier. The precipitation varies between 254 and 381 mm (10 and 15 in) and the winters are very cold, with the higher reaches of the river freezing. [2]
The sanctuary is forested, with a luxurious growth of mixed montane broadleaf and coniferous forest at lower altitudes, and montane coniferous forest higher up. [3] Coniferous species present include Picea and Juniperus . Deciduous trees present include Fraxinus , Olea , Pistacia , Sageretia , Betula , Salix , Populus and Krascheninnikovia ceratoides . Herbs present include Artemisia , Haloxylon and Stipa . [2]
A small number of Astor markhor (Capra falconeri falconeri), an endangered species of wild goat, lives in the reserve. [1] Other large mammals present include the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), the brown bear (Ursus arctos), the grey wolf (Lupus lupus), the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), the beech marten (Martes foina) and the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). About 35 species of bird have been recorded in the sanctuary, [2] including the Brooks's leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus subviridis). [3]
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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Baltistan Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary covering an area of 415 square kilometres in the Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. Contiguous with the Astore Wildlife Sanctuary to its south and east, the Baltistan Wildlife Sanctuary lies south of the Indus River, between the villages of Rondu and Shengus, in the Skardu District. This protected area was established in 1975, for the purpose of conserving the threatened species that occupy the park, and among them there are snow leopard, brown bear, lynx, Tibetan wolf, Tibetan sand fox, markhor, bharal, and Siberian ibex.
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The Ziarat Juniper Forest is a juniper forest in Ziarat, Balochistan, Pakistan.
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The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Aru Valley, Pahalgam near Anantnag city in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies 46 km from Anantnag city, the district headquarter. It is on the periphery of the two villages of Overa and Aru. The sanctuary spreads over 511 square kilometres (197 sq mi), lies 76 kilometres (47 mi) east of Srinagar. It was declared a game reserve in 1945 under the Dogra Rule and later upgraded to a sanctuary in 1981.
The Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary spread over 180 square kilometres (69 sq mi) is a protected area in Gulmarg, Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The sanctuary lies on the north-eastern side of the Pir Panjal mountain range and falls under the northwest Biogeographic Zone 2A. It lies 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-west of Srinagar and 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Baramulla. The sanctuary was first declared as a game reserve in 1981 and later upgraded to a sanctuary in 1987.
