PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa forestry and wildlife department on Saturday announced that it had achieved the target of increasing land coverage of the province’s protected areas from 10 per cent to 15 per cent in the province.

The announcement came after the second meeting of the KP Wildlife and Biodiversity Board was held with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair here.

The participants included forest and environment minister Ishtiaq Urmar, special assistant to the CM on information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, chief secretary Dr Shahzad Bangash, principal secretary to the CM Amjad Ali Khan, foreign and environment secretary Mohammad Abid Majeed and other officials.

CM orders more steps to conserve wildlife, biodiversity

According to the forestry department, the increase in protected areas coverage will help conserve and protect wildlife and biodiversity.

The board was informed that the province had nine national parks, 87 community game reserves, 38 public game reserves, five conservancies, three wildlife sanctuaries, two wildlife refuges, four sites of special scientific interest with a total area of more than 1,564,000 hectares, which made 15.38 per cent of the total area of the province.

The meeting was also informed that progress was also made in respect of declaring some other suitable places of the province as protected areas, including Rakh Topi National Park, Gusarrh National Park, Bashqar Gol Biosphere Reserve and Koh-i-Suleman Conservancy.

The chief minister said enhancement of the protected areas as targeted was a great achievement of the provincial government to ensure protected and conservation of the wildlife and biodiversity of the province.

He directed the relevant quarters to take necessary measures to further increase the protected areas for the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity, especially the endangered species.

The board approved financial assistance for the wildlife department employees killed or injured in the line of duty.

It also approved the Biodiversity Fund for sustainable interventions to protect and conserve biodiversity.

However, the board conditionally approved the payment of honorarium on annual basis to the zoo staff saying those employees perform duties round the clock.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2022