CHITRAL: The valley conservation committee of Zongrandram Terich area in Upper Chitral district have expressed concern about threat to snow leopard, ibex and juniper forest in Rosh Gol pasture in the region.

Committee members Prof Rahmat Karim Baig, Gamburi Shah, Maulana Abdul Ghani Chaman and others told reporters here on Monday that the inefficiency of the wildlife department had led to the poaching of ibex, partridge and chakor in the pasture with poachers making a mockery of the law.

They said some poachers subjected police personnel to torture in front of their check post when the latter came to the help of a conservationist associated with an international organisation.

The committee members said Rosh Gol was known to be one of the major habitats of snow leopards in the foothold of Hindu Kush system of mountains and the Snow Leopard Foundation recently included the area in its conservation project.

They called poaching environmental terrorism and said poachers’ activities were not only a threat to ibexes and birds but they also harmed the juniper forest.

The committee members said poachers didn’t let the International Union Conservation of Nature’s project launched in 1998 to conserve mountainous areas succeed though it did well in other valleys.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2020