Endangered Species in Pakistan

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Endangered Species in Pakistan
by Hajira Usman \| 08-07-2018 23:39 1
Biodiversity refers to the holding of a variety of animal and plant life in a favorable habitat or the world at large. Pakistan is home to many diverse species of animals and plants, thus is rich in biodiversity. The mountainous areas of Pakistan consisting of the Himalayan, Karakorum and Hindukush Ranges nourish areas of forests and alpine grazing lands embracing most of the wildlife include snow leopard, wolf, the black and the brown bears, Himalayan ibex, markhor, Marco Polo's sheep, musk deer, marmots and monal pheasants. the coastline of Pakistan has over 1000 species of fish. the shores are home to marine turtles: the ridley, green, leather back and hawksbill turtle. The wetlands in Pakistan have species of duck (pintail, shoveler, pochard), geese, flamingos, pelicans, spoon bills and storks. chikara gazelle is mainly found in the Thar desert and the blackbuck in Cholistan. the Indus flood plains shelter animals like jackal, mongoose, jungle cat, civet cat, scaly anteater and desert cat. Pakistan's biodiversity is continuously being threatened by many factors affecting about 12% of flora and several faunal species. Loss of habitat caused by deforestation amounts for a 1% annual rate with the forest canopy in KPK shrinking at a rapid rate each year. The intrusion of subsistence farmers, commercial logging, burning, excessive grazing by domestic animals and formation of agricultural plots in between the forests all contribute to the loss of the habitat for numerous species of plants and animals. Hunting,as a cultural and recreational act, is another issue leading to the extinction of several species of birds in Pakistan. For agricultural purposes the mangrove forests being a habitat for several species of fish and animals like hog, deer, jungle cat, fishing cat, are threatened by high irrigation demands and short water supplies. In Pakistan population growth, mostly in the rural areas, also plays a role in depletion of biodiversity as it demands increased standards of living putting pressure on the natural resources. Also, the poor are forced to depend o the natural resources due to social inequality. The species of plants and animals in the northern areas are mostly threatened by the competition with domestic livestock for existing natural forage, increasing human interference in the form of cultivation, the construction of roads, and hunting. In the plan lands and foothills the habitats are affected by severity of climatic conditions and the great thrust of grazing animals on the deserts have left wild animals in a precarious position. Some of the threatened species of animals in Pakistan over the century include; Indus river Dolphin, Snow Leopard, Chiltan Markhor, Marco Polo Sheep, swamp deer, Baluchistan black bear, Lion, Indian one-horned Rhinoceros, the Asiatic cheetah, the Indian wild ass, Hangul, Blackbuck. Twenty-five internationally threatened birds (one critically endangered, two endangered, and 22 vulnerable) and 17 internationally near-threatened birds are found in Pakistan (Collar and Andrew 1994, IUCN 1996) and ten internationally threatened reptiles are found here. 500 species of plants believed to be nationally rare or threatened (Davis et al. 1986). However, measures are being taken to prevent the endangerment of the plant and animal species. Several protected areas have been formed by the government in the form of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries etc. Authorities took this issue into consideration and established a national Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW) was established in 1974 within the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. Wildlife policies and collaborating with intentional agencies to spread awareness and save the habitats is being implemented on a national scale by different official and local organizations of Pakistan. Pakistani is also a member of the World Conservation union (IUCN).

Dormant user Hajira Usman

6 Comments

Gyeongrin mentor says :
Hello Hajira
The ongoing extinction of many living species are the result of mankind's greediness and ignorance. The basic solution for this issue will be for us to understand the living of these animals and reverse the damage that we have caused. These effort should be done not only individually but also in a bigger scale, and it is good to know that government are participating!
Thanks for the report :)
Posted 10-07-2018 22:05

Joon Ho Mentor says :
Hello Hajira, Pakistan covers quite large territories with its distinctive climate and environment characteristics. I knew that Pakistan is nearby Oman and Saudi Arabia, but I didn't get to think or imagine that there are such nice and unique marine animal species like those you mentioned in your report :)
As you said above, there are a lot of 'seemingly logical' reasons for wildlife degradation and harassment against endangered species, but it is true and essential that we have to remember most of reasons come from 'human beings'.
Thanks for introducing wildlife and endangered species of Pakistan, and we should get to know them too! :)
Posted 10-07-2018 18:13

Bharat Adhikari says :
Thanks for sharing.
Posted 10-07-2018 00:16

Lalit bc says :
The extinction of wild animals and plants is really a big threats for this world. We've lost many species of flora and fauna in these recent years. A big thanks and wish you good luck for this mission of saving wildlife.
Posted 09-07-2018 21:35