Conservation in Pakistan is the act of preserving, guarding, or protecting, biodiversity, environment, and natural resources of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Initiatives

The Living Indus Initiative is a comprehensive environmental program launched by the Ministry of Climate Change in Pakistan, in collaboration with the United Nations. This initiative aims to protect, conserve, and restore the natural ecosystems within the Indus Basin, which is crucial for the livelihoods of 90% of Pakistan’s population. The initiative addresses the severe environmental degradation caused by climate change, unsustainable population growth, and inefficient resource use. By implementing a series of 25 preliminary interventions, Living Indus focuses on nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation approaches. These efforts include restoring freshwater, terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems, thereby enhancing the resilience of the Indus Basin against climate impacts. The initiative also emphasizes the importance of collective action, involving government bodies, the private sector, and civil society, to mobilize resources and foster a sustainable future for the region.

Protected areas

The protected areas serve the purpose of conserving the forests and wildlife of Pakistan. National Conservation Strategy of 1993 was a major landmark of start of conservation of natural resources and wildlife in Pakistan. Resource-managed man-made forests like

Changa Manga The Changa Manga (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ) is a human's Created forest which includes a nature reserve, wildlife preserve, in the Kasur District, Kasur and Lahore District, Lahore districts of Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. It ...

Kamalia Kamalia (, ) is a city in the Toba Tek Singh District of Punjab Province, Pakistan. It is the administrative center of Kamalia Tehsil. It is the 67th most populous city of Pakistan. Location Kamalia is located at approximately 30.725°N la ...

plantation and

Chichawatni Chichawatni (, ) is a city in the Sahiwal District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the administrative center of Chichawatni Tehsil. Situated near the old main road called Grand Trunk Road, it lies approximately from the district c ...

plantation have also been planted to serve purpose and conserve forests. Through conservation, a large region of

Thal desert The Thal desert (, ''Thal Sahrā'h''; Urdu: , ''Sehrā-é-Thal'') is situated at 31°10’ N and 71°30’ E in the province of Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. Located near the Pothohar Plateau, the area falls under the Indomalayan realm, I ...

has been afforested. ;Natural protected forests * Birir Valley Coniferous Forest in

Chitral District Chitral District (; ) was a district in the Malakand Division of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from 14 August 1947 to 2018. It was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, covering an area of 14,850 km2, before spl ...

(also called 'Deodar Chilghoza Oak Forest') * Jhangar Scrub Forest in

Chakwal District Chakwal District () is a district located on the Pothohar Plateau in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northwestern area of the Punjab province, bordered by Talagang to its west, Rawalpindi to its northeast, Jhelum to its east. The distr ...

* Sulaiman Coniferous Forest in

Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a province of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the fourth largest province of Paki ...

(also called 'Sulaiman Chilgoza Pine Forest') *

Ziarat Juniper Forest The Ziarat Juniper Forest is a juniper forest in Ziarat, Balochistan, Pakistan. Geography These forests are spread around mountainous area of Ziarat and Mount Zarghoon. The mountains range from 1,181 to 3,488 meters elevation. The forests cover ...

Ziarat District Ziarat () is a district in the north of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Ziarat town (situated at an altitude of about 2,400 meters) is the headquarters of the district, the sub-division, and also of the tehsil. The highest peak of Khalifat Hills ...

;Artificial resource managed forests * Changa Manga Forest in

Lahore District Lahore District () is a Districts of Punjab, Pakistan, district in Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan, consisting of the provincial capital, Lahore and surrounding areas. It is the most populous Districts of Pakistan, district of Pakistan, with ...

* Chichawatni Plantation in

Sahiwal District Sahiwal District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ), formerly known as Montgomery District, is a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab Subdivisions of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. In 1998, it had a population of 1, ...

* Khipro Reserve Forest in

Sanghar District Sanghar District (, ) is one of the largest districts of Sindh province, Pakistan. This district lies between 25058'13 N latitudes and 69024'4E longitudes. It was a village before Mallah tribe were settled there. This district has the largest Ma ...

Endangered species

List of endangered species in Pakistan Following is the list of endangered species in Pakistan. Mammals Reptiles *'' Testudo horsfieldii'' Birds *'' Aythya baeri'' *'' Sterna acuticauda'' *'' Threskiornis melanocephalus'' *'' Limosa limosa'' *'' Chaetornis striata'' *'' Catreus ...

Cheer pheasant The cheer pheasant (''Catreus wallichii''), also known as Wallich's pheasant or chir pheasant, is a vulnerable species of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is the only member in the genus ''Catreus''. The scientific name commemorates Danish ...

, which became extinct in Pakistan, was planned to be reintroduced in the region. The World Pheasants Association sent 90 eggs of the species to the

Dhodial Pheasantry Dhodial Pheasantry (or Dhodial Pheasant Center) is a pheasantry and breeding center for several species of pheasants situated in Mansehra District, Pakistan. It has been set up for the purposes of research, conservation, tourism, and education. Th ...

. Among the eggs which hatched, the mortality was high and remained high till 1995. This situation got better in 1996. In 1997, a parent flock of 40 pairs was raised and eventually reintroduction of the cheer pheasant in

Hazara District Hazara District was a district of Peshawar Division in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It existed until 1976, when it was split into the districts of Abbottabad and Mansehra, with the new district of Haripur subsequently splitti ...

was carried out. As of 2007, there are around 60 pairs of cheer pheasant in the Dhodial Pheasantry. Pakistan Crane Center is a conservation center for the

captive breeding Captive breeding, also known as captive propagation, is the process of keeping plants or animals in controlled environments, such as wildlife reserves, zoos, Botanical garden, botanic gardens, and other Conservation biology, conservation facilitie ...

common crane The common crane (''Grus grus''), also known as the Eurasian crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the crane (bird), cranes. A medium-sized species, it is the only crane commonly found in Europe besides the demoiselle crane (''Grus virgo'') an ...

and

demoiselle crane The demoiselle crane (''Grus virgo'') is a species of crane found in central Eurosiberia, ranging from the Black Sea to Mongolia and Northeast China. There is also a small breeding population in Turkey. These cranes are migratory birds. Birds f ...

. It is located west of

Kurram River The Kurram River (), or Kurrama River, originates from the watershed of Spin Ghar region in the Paktia province of Afghanistan and the Kurram District of Pakistan. It flows through North Waziristan, and the city of Bannu, before joining the ...

Lakki Marwat Lakki Marwat or Lakki (Urdu and ) is the headquarters of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Lakki Marwat has become List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, one of the fastest growing cities in Khyber P ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

, south of

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

. The center is equipped with a total of 15 circular aviaries as well as an education block for visitors. The center is operated by the Bannu Wildlife Division,

Bannu Bannu (, ), also called Bani Gul or Bani (, ) is a city located on the Kurram River in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the capital of Bannu Division. Bannu's residents are primarily members of the Banuchi tribe and speak Banuch ...

and Pakistan Wetlands Programme of

Ministry of Environment (Pakistan) The Ministry of Environment (MoE) was a federal ministry of the Government of Pakistan, tasked with and primarily responsible for planning, coordinating, promoting, protecting and overseeing the policy implementation of government-sanctioned en ...

. The programme is funded by WWF - Pakistan,

GEF Gef ( ), also referred to as the Talking Mongoose or the Dalby Spook, was an allegedly talking mongoose which inhabited a farmhouse owned by the Irving family, located at Cashen's Gap near the hamlet of Dalby on the Isle of Man. The story was ...

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

and Darwin Initiative.

Legislation

Notable conservation organisations

World Wide Fund For Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based 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 th ...

(WWF - Pakistan) Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA) Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF)

References