ISLAMABAD: Pakistan paid tribute to its frontline wildlife protectors at the Pakistan Wildlife Protection Awards 2026, recognising outstanding field rangers and a village conservation community for their exceptional contributions to wildlife conservation and anti-poaching efforts in some of the country’s most remote mountain landscapes.

The awards ceremony, organised by the Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) and the British High Commission Pakistan, was held in Islamabad to mark World Rangers Day.

Minister of State for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Shezra Mansab Kharal attended the event as the chief guest, while British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott was the guest of honour. The ceremony brought together environmental experts, government officials, diplomats, academics, university students and conservation practitioners from across the country.

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott said: “Pakistan’s wildlife Rangers and mountain communities do extraordinary work to protect some of the world’s most important ecosystems. UK support through the Darwin Initiative is helping locally led conservation efforts, from snow leopard landscapes to urial habitats, protecting nature.”

The awards honoured wildlife Rangers serving in the mountainous regions of Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where they work under harsh weather conditions to protect Pakistan’s biodiversity and combat illegal wildlife trade and poaching.

Three award recipients were from Gilgit-Baltistan, three from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The National Snow Leopard Award 2026 was presented to Deputy Ranger Gulbaz Khan from Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for preventing an attempt to smuggle a snow leopard skin.

The other award recipients included Game Watcher Muhammad Younis Hasrat of Neelum district, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, who received the Musk Deer Award; Head Wildlife Watcher Nasir Ahmad of Lower Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who received the Markhor Award; Seer Zehab of Upper Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who received the Black Bear Award; Sajjad Hussain of the Gilgit-Baltistan Wildlife Department, who received the Urial Award; Game Inspector Fida Hussain of Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, who received the Himalayan Lynx Award; and Wildlife Guard Parvez Iqbal of Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan, who received the Ibex Award.

Acting on the recommendation of the national committee, a new Ashiq Ahmad Khan Community-Based Conservation Excellence Award was introduced this year to recognise outstanding community-led conservation initiatives. The inaugural award was presented to the Valley Conservation and Development Organization (VCDO) of Zondrangram Valley, Upper Chitral, in recognition of its contribution to community-based wildlife conservation.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2026