Red Data List of wildlife species on the cards

ISLAMABAD: The first ever Pakistan-specific Red Data List of wildlife species facing extinction or threats to their lives is being fine-tuned before its formal launch in the coming weeks.

According to the details, the initiative to prepare Red Data List was taken by the climate change ministry as lack of adequate data on the status of wildlife species had remained a major stumbling block in the efforts aimed at their protection and conservation in the country.

Data collection for the Red Data List is based on precise criteria recognized and used globally to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies. In all, 50 wildlife scientists and biodiversity experts, researchers, surveyors and representatives of International Union for Conservation of Nature-Pakistan (IUCN-Pakistan), Worldwide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P), Zoological Survey of Pakistan and Wildlife Conservation Society Pakistan have visited various parts of the country and collected data to prepare the list.

The experts have termed this effort of the climate change ministry unprecedented and vital to protect and conserve wild animals in the country, most of which are already facing extinction

due to environmental change, poaching, hunting and other reasons.

A senior official of the ministry informed this reporter that the Red Data List would be the most comprehensive inventory of the wildlife plants, animals, and other organisms of global importance.

“The Red List will be a critical indicator of the health of the country’s biodiversity, which is beset with various risks to its sustainability,” he said. He said, “It will also provide information about range, population size, habitat and ecology that would greatly help formulate sustained policies to protect and preserve wildlife animals.”