LAHORE: World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Chief Technical Advisor Dr Ejaz Ahmad on Monday said that climate change in Pakistan was forcing wildlife to change their behaviours and habitats.
Talking to APP, Dr Ijaz appreciated the government steps for devising a comprehensive policy for conservation of wildlife in Pakistan. “The government is pro-active and keen to protect wildlife and extending assistance to different organisations working in this field in the country,” he added.
He said that wildlife was an important resource with economic, cultural and recreational value to humans, an integral part of biodiversity of Pakistan. To a question, he said that for protection and conservation of wildlife, species and their habitat, a network of protected areas was currently in place, made effective under the Provincial Wildlife Protection Laws.
He said that global warming was threatening wildlife, which was an integral part of the country’s biodiversity. He said there were 26 national parks, 92 wildlife sanctuaries, 89 game reserves and 115 community reserve while the network of protected areas covered about 12 per cent of the land area of the country.
He said that wildlife was most vulnerable to global warming. “Global warming and climate changes were forcing wildlife to change their behaviours such as many birds were nesting, breeding, and migrating earlier in winter season are changing their behaviour due to changes in weathers,” he added. He urged the government to take more solid steps to protect forest cover which was the main source of conservation of wildlife in Pakistan.
