ISLAMABAD, Oct 24: The government is likely to take a number of decisions regarding conservation of wildlife across the country in a meeting scheduled on Friday, a reliable source said.

The meeting of National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW) will be presided over by environment minister Barrister Shahid Jamil. It will be attended among others by senior officials of wildlife departments of the four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Northern Areas, and representatives of the non-governmental organization.

The issues to be discussed in the meeting include allocation of trophy hunting quota, control of bear baiting menace, houbara bustard hunting, policy on export of falcons, management of protected areas etc.

Elaborating the agenda of the meeting, the sources said the trophy hunting quota was allocated by the NCCW for NWFP, Balochistan and Northern Areas for hunting of Markhor, Urial, and Ibex.

The council will not only allocate the trophy hunting quota for 2002-03 season, but also approve the quota for the next season of 2003-04, the sources said.

The World Society for Protection of Animals had started a campaign against bear baiting in Pakistan. To join the campaign, the sources said, the meeting would recommend measures for control of bear baiting and wildlife conservation in the country.

The foreign affairs ministry has sent invitations to the dignitaries in Gulf and Saudi Arabia for hunting of houbara bustard in Punjab, NWFP and Balochistan.

To check the repaid decline of houbara bustard in the country, the environment ministry, in consultation with provinces and WWF-Pakistan, has proposed protected areas like D.G Khan Division in Punjab; Ran of Kutch, including Nagar Parkar, in Sindh; Jhal Magsi and Nag Valley in Balochistan.

The meeting, the sources said, would suggest addition of more points to the protected areas’ list.

It will also discuss proposals of the provincial wildlife departments of Sindh and Northern Areas for allocation of quota for purchase of falcons by the representatives of the dignitaries.

The NWFP had also suggested to open the policy of export of falcons even by Pakistani nationals to earn maximum revenue, the sources added.