PESHAWAR, July 21: The NWFP wildlife department has initiated efforts for conservation of wild animals and their habitat in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

NWFP Wildlife Director Dr Mumtaz Malik told APP: “The mountainous region of Fata has abundance of wildlife,including some rare species like leopard, Markhor, brown beer, wolf and birds, which due to non-enforcement of Wildlife Protection Act in the tribal area were nearing extinction.”

He said the department was working on involvement of local communities in Fata.

He said two projects had been launched in Shirani in Dera Ismail Khan frontier region and Orakzai Agency to apprise the tribesmen about benefits of community participation in conservation of wildlife.

In Shirani, he said, agreements were signed with three communities, Hasankhel, Chorkhel and Hameemzai, for banning hunting of Suleman Markhor, which was a rare specie that had become endangered in the region.

Posters with pictures of Suleman Markhor were also circulated in the areas advertising benefits of conservation of wildlife, he said.

For improving the habitat, the department planned to plant 50,000 plants of Chalgoza in spring. The Orakzai agency, he said, was replete with the dry fruit’s trees which the timber mafia was cutting ruthlessly.

Wildlife clubs were established for highlighting the importance of the efforts and religious leaders were approached for advising the people not to kill the animals, he said.

The department was undertaking only promotional activities and not the punitive ones due to non-implementation of Wildlife Act in Fata, he said. We have given some incentives to the communities and not legal empowerment to fine any illegal hunter, he said.

Dr Mumtaz said the department had undertaken development works to the tune of Rs1 million in the areas.

In October last, he said, medical camps were established in Anwar Kalan area where the doctors checked more than 300 patients.

The department would later extend its activities to the Kurram Agency, he said.—APP