ISLAMABAD – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan Senior Director and environmental expert Dr Ejaz Ahmad has urged the government to preserve Pakistan’s wildlife which includes more than 1055 species of birds, and animals.
He said that the government should conserve wildlife by protecting forest cover and environment in Pakistan. Dr Ijaz said that Pakistan’s wildlife included 668 species of birds, 195 species of mammals and 192 species of reptiles.
He said that for protection and conservation of these species and their habitat, a network of protected forest areas were currently in place working under the Provincial Wildlife Protection Laws. “If we keep on cutting jungles, the environment will not be preserved. We shall have to protect our wildlife for our future generations” he said.
These included 26 National Parks, 92 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 89 Game Reserves and 115 Community Reserve. The network of protected areas covered about 12 percent of the land area of Pakistan, he said. A senior official of the Ministry of Climate Change said the present government was pro-active and keen to protect the wildlife and extend assistance to different organisations working in this field.
He said that bio-diversity should not be taken as a source of consumption rather everybody should play due role to conserve nature, especially forests. “Preserving environment is responsibility of every citizen and we all will have to make collective efforts for this cause,” he said. Pakistan is a bio-diversity rich country and the government should make every effort to protect the deforestation areas.
