Wildlife of Pakistan - Otter Specialist Group

Volume 1: Issue 1: January - March, 2012Waseem Ahmad KhanIslamabadEmail: khanwa@hotmail.comNATIONAL PARKS IN PAKISTANPakistan hosts a wide range ofecosystem / habitat types andassociated biological diversitydue to its unique geographicaland climatic conditions. There aresnow covered peaks, permanentsnowfields, lush green as well asbarren mountains, forests, irrigatedplains, riverine tracts, sand dunesand deserts and coastal areas. Forthe conservation of such naturalassets, a national governmentdeclares some specific areas as theprotected areas. Protected areasare thosewhere the representativeecosystems, fauna and flora areprotected and maintained under thenatural conditions. Five categoriesof protected areas have beenrecognized in Pakistan that include;national parks, wildlife sanctuaries,game reserves, private gamereserves and community controlledhunting areas / communityconservation areas.fauna in natural state and protectedfrom hunting, cutting of vegetation,developmental activities andpollutionHistory of National ParksThe idea for the establishment ofa national park came from WilliamWordsworth (1810), who describedthe Lake District as a sort of nationalproperty, George Catlin (1832), whowrote about preserving the NativeAmericans in a magnificent park - Anation’s park containing man andbeast in all the wild and freshnessof their nature’s beauty. The firstpractical effort by any governmentwas in USA on April 20, 1832, whenPresident Andrew Jackson signedthe legislation to establish HotSpring Reservation in Arkansas toprotect the natural, thermal springsand adjoining mountainsides. Thenext effort was again in USA on June30, 1864 by President AbrahamLincoln ceding the Yosemite Valleyand Mariposa Grove to the state ofCalifornia. The first ever nationalpark in the world was YellowstoneNational Park (USA) established in1872.National Parks in PakistanThere are now 6,555 national parksworldwide and 21 exist in Pakistanrepresenting different ecologicalregions of the country and coveringabout 29,589 km², about 3 % ofthe total area (10,060,96 km²) ofthe country. A century after theestablishment of first national park,LalSohanranational park was theWILDLIFE OF PAKISTAN11National parkA national park is not likeaacityparkor public garden withfencedboundaries and having play grounds,picnic spots, jogging and walkingtracks etc. Rather it is a reserve ofland usually declared and ownedby a national government,meantfor the protection and preservationof the outstanding scenery, naturallandscape, majestic and aweinspiringplaces, natural flora andA view of Hingol National Park © Waseem Ahmed Khan, PWF