Ayubia National Park ( ur, ), also known as Ayubia ( ur, ), is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

of located in Abbottabad District,

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

province,

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. It was declared a national park in 1984. Ayubia was named after

Muhammad Ayub Khan Muhammad Ayub Khan ( Urdu: ; 14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974), was the second President of Pakistan. He was an army general who seized the presidency from Iskander Mirza in a coup in 1958, the first successful coup d'état in the country' ...

(1958–1969), second

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.temperate coniferous forest Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Temperate coniferous forests are found predominantly in areas with warm summers and cool winters, and vary in their kinds of plant life. In some, needle ...

and

temperate broadleaf and mixed forest Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions. These ...

ecoregion

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s, with an average elevation of above sea level. Ayubia National Park is surrounded by seven major villages and three small towns of Thandiani,

Nathiagali Nathia Gali or Nathiagali ( ur, ) is a hill station and mountain resort town located in the Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is located at the centre of the Galyat range, where several hill stations are situated. ...

and Khanspur. The park has been developed as a resort complex from a combination of four mini resorts of

Khaira Gali Khaira Gali is one of the tourist mountain resort towns of the Galyat area of Pakistan, it has an altitude of 2347m. Khaira Gali is located in Palak which is a Union Council of Abbottabad District in Abbottabad province of Pakistan. This hill sta ...

Changla Gali Changla Gali is one of the tourist mountain resort towns of the Galyat area of Pakistan. It has an elevation of 2804m.Khanspur and Ghora Dhaka in Galyat. Currently, it is managed by the Wildlife and Parks Department of

Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( ur, ; ps, د خیبر پښتونخوا حکومت), is the provincial government of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Const ...

History

Ayubia National Park was established in 1984 in an east corner of

province of

. In 1998 it was expanded form its original size of or to . Since then it has been managed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department. The purpose of establishing it was to conserve the temperate forests. Originally, the park stood at an area of , but in 1998 it was expanded to cover an area of . The total population of Ayubia and surrounding villages as per a 1996 census is 18,097 people living in 2,311 households.

Climate

The climate of the park is cool in the summers, but harsh in the winters. While it remains only placidly hot in May and June, the cold sets in when the monsoons come to lash in late July and early August. In the winters cold increases in severity gradually until the west winds bring rains, which eventually turn into snow. The park remains snow-capped through the later part of winters. *Rainfall: 1,644 mm *Temperature: 3 °C - 11 °C

Wildlife

The park holds 104 species of plants. The main floral species are ''

Cedrus deodara ''Cedrus deodara'', the deodar cedar, Himalayan cedar, or deodar, is a species of cedar native to the Himalayas. Description It is a large evergreen coniferous tree reaching tall, exceptionally with a trunk up to in diameter. It has a conic ...

'',

blue pine ''Pinus wallichiana'' is a coniferous evergreen tree native to the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains, from eastern Afghanistan east across northern Pakistan and north west India to Yunnan in southwest China. It grows in mountain valle ...

yew Yew is a common name given to various species of trees. It is most prominently given to any of various coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Taxus'': * European yew or common yew (''Taxus baccata'') * Pacific yew or western yew (''Taxus br ...

silver fir Silver fir is a common name for several trees and may refer to: *''Abies alba ''Abies alba'', the European silver fir or silver fir, is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and the Car ...

, horse chestnut and oak. Around 21 plants belonging to 19 families are known for their medicinal properties. Many of these are used in treatment of

jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...

stomach ulcers Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a break in the inner lining of the stomach, the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while one in the first part of the intestines ...

snake bites A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occu ...

, internal infections,

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small, localized patches to comple ...

and more. Some plants are said to have anti-carcinogenic effect as well. Also, some are used as biological

insecticides Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and by consumers. Insecticides are claimed t ...

and

pesticides Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and la ...

, mostly due to their insect-repellent nature. The

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the W ...

has launched an ethno-botanical initiative here "to demonstrate the sustainable use of plant resources as a means for protecting

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

. There are 23 mammals, 203 birds and 13 herpto-fauna in the park. Mammals found in the park include: *

Indian leopard The Indian leopard (''Panthera pardus fusca'') is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. The species ''Panthera pardus'' is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because populations have declined following habita ...

,''P.p.millardi'' *

Leopard cat The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by hab ...

,''F.b.himalayana'' *

Golden jackal The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy ...

,''C.a.indicus'' *

Red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

,''V.v.griffithi'' *

Yellow-throated marten The yellow-throated marten (''Martes flavigula'') is a marten species native to Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide distribution, evidently relatively stable population, occurrence in a number of protected are ...

,''M.f.flaviugula'' *

Masked palm civet The masked palm civet (''Paguma larvata''), also called the gem-faced civet, is a palm civet species native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008 as it occurs in many p ...

,''P.l.himalayana'' *

Asian palm civet The Asian palm civet (''Paradoxurus hermaphroditus''), also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad rang ...

,''P.h.isabellinus'' * Central European boar,''S.s.scrofa'' * Java pipistrelle,''P.j.himalayensis'' *

Big-eared horseshoe bat The big-eared horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus macrotis'') is a bat species within the Rhinolophidae native to Asia. Taxonomy The big-eared horseshoe bat was described as a new species in 1844 by English zoologist Edward Blyth. The holotype had be ...

,''R.macrotis'' *

Serotine bat The serotine bat (''Eptesicus serotinus''), also known as the common serotine bat, big brown bat, or silky bat, is a fairly large Eurasian bat with quite large ears. It has a wingspan of around and often hunts in woodland. It sometimes roosts ...

,''E.serotinus'' *

Rhesus macaque The rhesus macaque (''Macaca mulatta''), colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies that are split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally ...

,''M.m.villosa'' * Indian porcupine,''H.i.blandfordi'' * Kashmir field mouse,''Apodemus rusiges'' *

Ward's field mouse Ward's field mouse (''Apodemus pallipes'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Nepal, and Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakista ...

,''Apodemus wardi'' * Turkestan rat,''R.turkestanicus'' * Murree vole,''H.wyneii'' * Kashmir flying squirrel,''E.fimbriatus'' * Red giant flying squirrel,''P.p.albiventer'' Some of the Himalayan specialty birds of Ayubia include: *

Kalij pheasant The kalij pheasant (''Lophura leucomelanos'') is a pheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from Pakistan to western Thailand. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies involved, but all have at ...

,''L.l.hamiltonii'' *

Koklass pheasant The koklass pheasant (''Pucrasia macrolopha'') is a species of gamebird, being closely related to progenitive grouse that lived during the Miocene. They are distantly related to pheasants and are most closely related to grouse and turkeys. Ko ...

,''P.m.biddulphi'' * Wedge-tailed green pigeon,''T.sphenurus'' *

Speckled wood pigeon The speckled wood pigeon (''Columba hodgsonii'') is a medium-sized pigeon of the family Columbidae which lives in montane forests of Kashmir to Northeast India, eastern Tibet, central China, Yunnan and Myanmar. Description The upper body of t ...

,''Columba hodgsonii'' *

Spotted dove The spotted dove (''Spilopelia chinensis'') is a small and somewhat long-tailed pigeon that is a common resident breeding bird across its native range on the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia. The species has been introduced to many part ...

,''S.chinensis'' *

Great barbet The great barbet (''Psilopogon virens'') is an Asian barbet native to the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia, where it inhabits foremost forests up to altitude. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004 because of ...

,''M.virens'' *

Himalayan cuckoo The Himalayan cuckoo (''Cuculus saturatus'') is a species of cuckoo in the genus ''Cuculus''. It breeds from the Himalayas eastward to southern China and Taiwan. It migrates to southeast Asia and the Greater Sunda Islands for the winter. It was f ...

,''C.saturatus'' *

Crested serpent-eagle The crested serpent eagle (''Spilornis cheela'') is a medium-sized bird of prey that is found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Within its widespread range across the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and East Asia, there are consider ...

,''S.cheela'' *

Besra The besra (''Accipiter virgatus''), also called the besra sparrowhawk, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The besra is a widespread resident breeder in dense forests throughout southern Asia, ranging from the Indian subcontinent ea ...

,''A.virgatus'' *

Golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird ...

,''A.c.daphanea'' * Himalayan black-lored tit,''M.xanthogenys'' * White-cheeked tit,''A.leucogenys'' * Kashmir nuthatch,''Sitta cashmirensis''

Management

The park has been managed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department under the 1975 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Act. The headquarters of the park is at Dunga Gali, which is situated at a distance of 50 km from

Abbottabad Abbottabad (; Urdu, Punjabi language(HINDKO dialect) آباد, translit=aibṭabād, ) is the capital city of Abbottabad District in the Hazara region of eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in Pakistan and fourt ...

and 25 km from Murree.

Tourism

Standing at some 26 kilometers from the tourist hotbed of Murree Hill Station, over 100,000 tourists flock to Ayubia National Park and the places around every year. It is well known for its picnic spots. This National Park also features the "Pipeline Walking Track" that runs from Ayubia to Nathiagali and is 4 kilometers in length. Beautiful Sunset at Ayubia - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Pakistan

Beautiful Sunset at Ayubia - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Pakistan

Since there are 7 villages and 4 major towns around it, and since this area attracts a very large number of tourists annually, there is a large number of hotels and restaurants around the park. In addition to riding trails, hiking places, picnic spots and motels, there is a

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

in Ayubia that takes the tourists to a nearby summit called Mukeshpuri for a view of the forested hills. This

was the first recreation facility of its kind in

and is still a major attraction for domestic tourists. The famous

PTDC Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation or PTDC ( ur, ) is an organization of the Government of Pakistan. PTDC is governed by the Board of Directors and provides transportation to various areas and owns and runs several motels across the coun ...

motel is located here.

Gallery

File:Ayubia, Pakistan.jpg, Glaciers, Mountains, Valleys & Hills. File:Ayubia National Park Track 1.JPG, Track between Donga Gali and Ayubia known as Ayubia National Park track. File:Ayubia National Park Track 2.JPG, A view of mountains from track between Donga Gali and Ayubia known as Ayubia National Park track. File:Ayubia National Park Track 3.JPG, Cloud can be seen from track between Donga Gali and Ayubia known as Ayubia National Park track. File:Ayubia National Park Track 4.JPG, Ayubia National Park track. File:Ayubia_national_park_board.jpg, A board at the entrance of Pipeline Track showing its co-ordinates. File:Kashmir_rock_agama_01.jpg,

Kashmir Rock Agama ''Laudakia tuberculata'' (Kashmir rock agama or tuberculated agama) is a species of agamid lizard found in northern Pakistan, northern India (W Himalaya, Kashmir, Punjab), Nepal, eastern Afghanistan (needs confirmation), and western Chin ...

can be found here.

References

External links

WDPA Profile

History, information and photos of Murree (Ayubia included)

Ayubia National Park pictures and videos

WWF Pakistan - Ayubia page

Pakistan factbook
{{authority control National parks of Pakistan Abbottabad District Protected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Protected areas established in 1984 Parks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa