IN most newspapers, it appeared as a small news item that merely marked the fact that the relevant authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had organised an event to mark World Wildlife Day on Tuesday. In society at large, the day passed as every other, with most of the people no doubt latently more concerned for their own safety in these times of violence than that of the various species of wildlife that also share Pakistan’s soil. That, perhaps, is a true reflection of the prevalent attitudes in this country about wildlife. For as speakers at the KP function pointed out, the biggest threat to the country’s wild animal population is a lack of awareness, in addition to poaching and the rapidly expanding human and livestock population.

It can be argued that the latter two problems are both amongst the consequences of the first. In Pakistan’s context, the conservation of wildlife presents specific challenges that have to do with facts such as rapid urbanisation, a disconnect between the old ways of life and new lifestyles, and even perhaps an underlying but growing fondness for the trappings of modernity. In today’s Pakistan, notwithstanding the conservatism that many believe is on the increase in society at large, steel and concrete exercise more of a pull on people’s minds than wildlife diversity. Little wonder, then, that despite efforts by both government departments and several non-governmental organisations, it has not yet proved possible to put this issue as much on the priority agenda as could have been hoped for. This does not mean, though, that accelerated efforts cannot bring about a shift. An awareness-raising programme through the electronic media in particular would help raise the issue’s profile, and foster an understanding of the long-term importance of biodiversity. On the other side of the coin, interventions are required in areas where poaching is an issue so that people can be induced to finding sources of income other than in the hunting and trade of wild animals.