Importance of wildlife conservation, protection highlighted

Islamabad

Ministry of Climate Change observed International Wildlife Day in collaboration with United Nations (UN) on Friday to highlight importance of wildlife conservation and protection.

World Wildlife Day was observed on Friday across the world including Pakistan with its theme ‘Listen to the young voices’.

Addressing the ceremony Ministry of Climate Change Secretary Syed Abu Ahmad Akif said this is the time to recognise importance of wildlife and relation with wildlife.

He said wildlife plays a significant role in maintaining the ecological equilibrium of nature.

The presence of wildlife affects the character of its habitat by continually supporting the evolutionary adaptations of everything in its environment, he added.

He said presence of wildlife is also an effective way to assess the quality of the environment.

He said Margalla Hills are unique in Pakistan, being rich in Sino-Himalayan fauna, some species (especially birds) of which are at the western extremity of their distribution.

It is an extension of the Islamabad wildlife sanctuary, which includes the Shakarparian Hills and the Rawal Lake, he added.

He said youth, civil society and media should come forward to spread awareness about wildlife and its importance.

DID Forest Munaf Qaimkhani said: "Wildlife is an important part of ecological community as wildlife play an important role in the environment. We cannot deny the importance of wildlife as wildlife itself is an important character of nature so its conservation is an important obligation for human beings for the sustainability of life on planet earth”.

He said that ecological value is the interaction of wildlife in nature. Wildlife plays an essential role in the ecological and biological processes that are yet again significant to life, he added.

He said normal functioning of the biosphere depends on endless interactions amongst animals, plants, and microorganisms. This, in turn, maintains and enhances human life further, he added.

Wildlife maintains ecological `balance of nature' and maintains food chain and nature cycles, he said.

Pakistan is also home to the snow leopard, ibex, red fox, golden marmot, wolf, the Ladakh Urial, Black Buck, Wild boar, Golden Jackal, Rhesus Macaque, Leopard cat, Gray Goral sheep, barking deer, Nilgai antelope, Himalayan Musk deer, Golden marmot and a number of resident and migratory birds.

Birds in the Pakistan are Golden eagle, Lammagier vulture, Griffon vulture, Laggar falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, Indian Sparrow Hawk, Snow Cock, Houbara Bustard, Dalmatian and Spot-billed Pelican.

The aim of the World Wildlife Day was to sensitise masses about the wildlife and its protection.

Seminars were organised on the occasion to highlight the importance of wildlife.

Wildlife Day also reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts.

On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3 March, the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's wild animals and plants, Radio Pakistan reported.

The engagement and empowerment of youth is high on the agenda of the United Nations and this objective is being achieved through the youth programmes of various UN system organizations as well as the dedicated UN Secretary General's Envoy on Youth.

World Wildlife Day 2017 encourages youth around the world to rally together to address ongoing major threats to wildlife including habitat change, over- exploitation or illicit trafficking.

Youth are the agents of change.

In fact, we are already seeing the positive impacts on conservation issues made by some young conservation leaders around the world.

If they can help make a change, you can too.

Governments, law makers, enforcement officers, customs officials and park rangers across every region are scaling up their efforts to protect wildlife.

It is also up to every citizen, young and old, to protect wildlife and their habitats. We all have a role to play.

Our collective conservation actions can be the difference between a species surviving or disappearing.  It's time for us all to listen to the young voices.