efore the flood, there was a lot of greenery here. All of it drowned during the flood. It affected not only humans and their livelihoods but also wildlife and their habitats,” says Yasir Pechuho, a wildlife photographer from Larkana district. “It seems that most of the birds have left the area. They are no longer seen in large number like they were before.”

Pechuho is passionate about wildlife photography and bird watching at natural lakes, other water bodies and wetlands. When he goes out with his camera, he is always looking for new species of birds. So far his collection contains images of 251 avian species.

As the global climate crisis deepens, wildlife is under greater stress than ever before. The 2022 floods drowned about a third of Pakistan. The unexpected rains started in mid-June and continued until late August. According to the ministry of climate change more than 33 million people have been affected by the floods.

“Wildlife, in general, has been affected. Many species, including the wild boar, the Indian fox, the golden jackal, the wild cat, the fishing cat, all kinds of rodents – including shrews and rabbits, pheasants and quails, as well as the secretive reptile species have lost their habitats,“ says Pechuho. “Several species of snakes have been affected “. He says small land animals, including reptiles, were affected first as floodwater destroyed their muddy burrows.

Snakes, he says, moved quickly in search of shelter and food. This brought them in contact with people. There were many snakebites and many snakes were killed.

According to the Health Department, 134 cases of snake bite were reported between July 1 and September 13.

The flood badly affected the wildlife in Mirpurkhas, the eastern part of lower Sindh. “Over the last four months, I have not seen the colourful birds. It seems that the native birds have flown away,” says Rasheed Khaskheli, a student at the Natural Science Faculty, University of Sindh, Jamshoro.

According to Khaskheli, who has a degree in zoology, cropped fields and orchards as well as forests afford shelter to small animals and rodents. “I do believe that we may have lost some of the species forever.”

Locals believe that trees and birds have a close relationship. When trees are gone, the birds are forced to move. “It is important to protect them from unnecessary logging,” several residents told this scribe.

Forests are the foremost refuge as well as source of food for wildlife. However, the deforestation rate in the region is very high and accelerating. According to the World Bank, the forest area in Pakistan was reported at 4.8 percent in 2020.

The damage and loss in forestry and protected areas has been huge. The Post-Disaster Needs Assessment report 2022, prepared by the Government of Pakistan, shows that forestry accounts for around 60 percent of the environmental damages and almost 99 percent of the losses. The protected areas, wildlife and infrastructure in national parks account for around 11 percent of the damage.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has estimated that approximately 13 million hectares of the world’s forests are lost yearly because of deforestation.

“When trees were not dying out, numerous species of bids, including green parrots, myna, quails and sparrows made them their home. Then there were reptiles and small mammals - rabbits, rats, jungle cats, jackals, porcupines, etc,” Pechuho recalls. He laments, “Now there is nothing. Our homes have been destroyed… the courtyards look like a deserted area.”

Pakistan has been a host to many bird species. According to Exploring the Spectacular Wildlife of Pakistan guide, 2022, there are 668 species of birds, out of which 25 are endangered; 177 reptile species, 13 of which are endemic to the area; 14 kinds of turtles, crocodile, 90 lizards, and 65 snake species.

According to the Wildlife Department, “107 species of reptiles, 82 of mammals and 322 of birds are found in Sindh.”

Shamail Larik, too, is fond of photography. He belongs to Nara desert in Khairpur. Larik is currently visiting the desert, observing wildlife, including the Houbara Bustard. He says the flood has wreaked havoc and there is hardly any wildlife left unaffected.

“Here, I have seen a lot of rotting bodies and skeletons. I have photographed the carcass of a wild boar. I think it died from starvation and lack of shelter. The desert is no habitat for a boar.” Larik worries that (illegal) duck hunting has resumed in the region.

According to Pakistan Wildlife Foundation, there are 6,555 national parks worldwide. 21 of these are in Pakistan. These parks are rich in animal and bird species. Sindh has only one national park at Kirthar, established in 1974. It stretches over about 2,400 square kilometres in the hilly area of Jamshoro district along the Indus River.

Pechuho says it is harder for wildlife to survive floods than for humans. He believes that the wild animals survived for a few days after the flood but then died mostly due to lack of food and their natural habitats. Some animals were also attacked by predators.

Ghulam Sarwar Jamali, a former deputy director of the Wildlife Department, says that in the earlier floods, only the riverine areas were affected on a large scale. However, in the 2022 flood, higher plains were also submerged. He says the loss of wildlife in the river bed may not have been great. However, he says, there has been a great loss of wildlife on the farmland and higher plains. In particular, he says, populations of pheasants, partridges and quails have declined significantly.

Javed Mahar, head of the Wildlife Department, says that the devastating floods have affected wildlife as a whole. He says the losses are hard to establish as data collection is difficult and much of the wildlife in Sindh is largely invisible.

Altaf Khuhro, a director of the Zoological Survey of Pakistan agrees with Mahar.

He also points to the difficulty of access as much of the infrastructure has been destroyed as well.

After the 2010 flood, the Friends of Indus Forum had organised a dialogue to discuss the ecological impact of the flood. Jamali was then a deputy conservator of wildlife. According to him “In 2010, about 700 hog deers, 1,500 wild boars, and 12,000 partridges were displaced. 15 bodies of hog deer killed by dogs and other predators were found.“

Most of the wildlife in Sindh is away from the affected areas. The heavy rains have in fact made Khirthar National Park verdant, and the populations of Sindh ibex, urial and chinkara are seen likely to increase, says Khuhro. “In the deserts, too, the heavy rains will improve the ecological balance. Even the floodplains of the riverine forests will benefit in the long run,” he says.

Mahar agrees that overall, the fauna and flora in Tharparkar, Kohistan, Kachhu, Thatta, Jung Shahi and Khirthar hills have benefited.

According to Khuhro, while human population have been adversely affected by the historic flood, grasslands in deserts and hilly areas will be revived. He says the abundance of water in lakes and ponds will increase the number of water birds.

Sindh is an important region in terms of biodiversity. It is also home to marine life in its coastal belt. It has deserts (green and white), hilly areas (Kirthar mountain range and Karoonjhar hills in Nagarparkar, Tharparkar), plains, natural lakes and wetlands.

Under the Ramsar Convention, wetlands are of paramount importance in terms of biodiversity. There are a total of 19 Ramsar sites in Pakistan, 10 of which are in Sindh.

Jamali says that stagnant water has affected feeding, nesting and resting of animals and birds. He does not believe that the relative abundance of water will result in much improvement in the wildlife situation. He says there has been a lot of habitat loss and degradation. The government has banned bird shootings, but enforcement of the ban will not be easy.

Javed Mahar says, “it is true that the invisible loss of natural habitat has been huge. The heavy rain came during the breeding season. We have taken action keeping that in mind and have banned the hunting of game birds using guns for one year. The restrictions include birds hunted for food, including partridges, quails, and ducks.”

Mahar adds, “When disasters come, nature itself teaches the wildlife how it can survive… Wherever there has been flooding, birds have sought refuge on trees. Trees are the greatest refuge for birds. They adapt to survive. All we have to do is provide protection and eliminate additional threats.”

With the approval of Wildlife Policy 2022, Sindh will become the first province having a wildlife protection policy in line with modern requirements, says Javed Mahar. “Sindh has the most advanced and updated wildlife legislation. This will prove a road map for wildlife protection“. Following the passage of Rules of Business for Sindh Wildlife Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management Act, 2020, in October 2022, illegal hunting of wild animals in Sindh will be subject to heavy fines.

According to Sindh Wildlife Protection Rules 2022, Sindh ibex is the wild mammal of Sindh, the blue-tail peafowl the bird of Sindh and the Indus dolphin the queen of the Indus River.

The Extensive Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services examines changes and their impact on nature. The report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has shown that nearly a million animal and plant species are now in peril of extinction.

Rasheed Khaskheli recalls that since the flood of 2010, populations of many bird species, especially green parrots known for mimicry, have declined. Scores of species, he says, are endangered. “Every wildlife lover understands that there is no substitute for these animals and birds. Only nature can protect them; we must protect their natural habitat and their food so that they can thrive,“ he concludes.

The writer is a Hyderabad-based journalist. He has been writing on climate change, wildlife and marginalised communities for over a decade