KARACHI, Feb 2: Experts at the opening day of the two-day workshop ‘Scientific Surveys for Hingol Park Management’ on Friday discussed various studies and agreed that there were different pressures on the park resources, which should be managed to ensure its bright future.

The workshop was attended by experts and the public. It was organised by the Balochistan Forest and Wildlife Department.

With an 619,043 hectares, the Hingol National Park is situated on the Makran Coast, some 190kilometres west of Karachi and covers Lasbella, Awaran and Gwadar districts of Balochistan and regarded as the largest park in Pakistan.

The park has huge historical and archeological features including Hinglaj/ Nani Mandir pilgrimage site, passage of Alexander the Great, graves of Mohammad bin Qasim’s soldiers, spectacular mountain formation, Princes of Hope, Chandragup Mud Volcano. Besides, it has great landscapes including marine areas, beaches, coastal dunes and plains, salt flats, sand and clay stone mountains, Clay Mountains, riverine areas, desert, mud volcanoes and mud vents and inland sand dunes.

Some 1,100 households exist in the park with 40 per cent population living in the interior of the park while the remaining 60 per cent in its coastal plains.

The participants were also given documents showing that diarrhea, malaria, eye infection and skin diseases were common health problems among children living in the park while their male and female adults were suffering much dangerous diseases due to extensively poor health facilities.

The management plan was intended for a timeframe of two or three generations. This timeframe was needed to possibly arrive from nearly illiterate park community to at least 25 per cent literate community and to gradually establish the role of the communities as park custodians with fair share in the management of the park resources and benefit distribution system.

It said Hingol National Park was a natural jewel of Balochistan having unique setting being the largest National Park in Pakistan and the only one with integrated terrestrial and marine habitats. The Hingol River, the largest river outside the Indus River System forms the integrated link between mountains, valleys, riverine habitats, coastal sand dune areas, estuary and the Arabian Sea.

“It is the life support system for both the wildlife and people living in the park,” it said.

The participants of the workshop were told that the park was also in an exceptional situation by being located at converging area of three zoo geographical regions including the African (Ethiopian) Region, the Palarctic Region which includes Europe-North Africa-Northern Asia and Oriental Region including the area of South East Asia to Pakistan.

Several species of international and national value are found in the Hingol Park such as the green and Olive Ridley Turtle, Dalmatian and Spot-billed Pelicans, Sociable Lapwing, Eastern Imperial and Pallas Fish Eagle, white-backed vultures, marsh crocodile, spiny-tail lizard, Sindh Ibex, Afghan Urial, Chinkara Gazelle, leopard, caracal, hyena, honey badger, Afghan Hedgehog, Pangolin and Plumbeous Dolphin.