Chief
Minister Gilgit Baltistan Hafiz Hafeezur Rehman has said that the Pakistan
Muslim Leage Nawaz regional government was taking crucial decisions to ensure
protection of forest and wildlife.
He said this
while speaking at hunting trophy money-distributing ceremony here on other day.
At the
ceremony, the regional government distributed 80 percent money received from
the trophy hunting programme of 2017-18 among the local communities. The
ceremony in this regard was held at the forest complex in Jutial Gilgit.
Chief
Minister Hafeezur Rehman, Speaker GB Assembly Fida Muhammad Nashad, deputy
speaker Jaffarullah Khan, minster for forest Imran Wakeel, tourism minister
Fida Khan, wildlife conservation community’s representatives and wildlife
officials attended the event.
On the
occasion, Rehman said that bold decisions would be made to ensure protection of
forests and wildlife in the region. He said that the regional government had,
with support of local wildlife conservation communities, controlled illegal
hunting in the region.
He said now
a markhor could be hunted after obtaining permit valuing at Rs 100,000 and the
income was distributed among the local community so that conservation efforts
were successful.
He said the
natural resources in GB not only benefited local communities, but also helped boost
tourism.
The chief
minister said that 36 conservation communities were working to protect wildlife
species across the region.
He suggested
that a body of conservation communities should be established to assist
government in formulating policy in that regard. GB parks and wildlife annually
auctions permits of trophy hunting of wildlife species in the region.
It is
pertinent to mention here that eighty percent of the money receieved from the
trophy hunting programme goes to local communities which spend it on education,
health and other development projects, The remaining 20 percent money is
deposited in the government exchequer.
GB is rich
with flora and fauna because of its varied climatic conditions and ecosystem.
The region is home to many rate species, such as Marco Polo sheep, Ibex,
markhor, urial, blue sheep, lynx, snow leopard, leopard cat, brown and black
bears, wolf, fox, marmote, chakor and ram chakor and golden eagle. Foreign
tourists and influential people from across the country visit the region for
hunting every year and get hunting permits from the wildlife department but
always violate hunting rules. However, some of these rare species are facing
the threat of extinction due to illegal hunting, negligence of the wildlife
department and the climate change related issues.
According to
a resident in Hunza district, Muhammad Karim, who has been associated with the
field of wildlife for 35 years and is a member of the community conservation
wildlife committee in Passu village of upper Hunza, the population of protected
animals is shrinking rapidly in the region.
