Pakistan Wildlife Conservation News

Link: http://pakobserver.net/201006/07/detailnews.asp?id=35055

Shrinking habitat threat to leopards in Galliyat

Peshawar—Shrinking habitat due to increasing dependence of population on natural resources and ensuing human-leopard conflict in Galliyat are posing serious threat to survival of the endangered wild cat in the region.

“Galliyat is home to the largest population of common leopards in the country and reduction of habitat for the rare wild specie is causing danger to its survival in the region, warn experts in wildlife biology.

“Its time to draw guidelines for leopard management in Galliyat so that a self-sustained breeding population of leopard can co-exist with human beings,” they added.

“Human-carnivore (meat eating animal) conflict always has negative impact on carnivore population because of retaliationary killing and when the predator did not find wild prey due to reduction in habitat, it starts its dependence on livestock and in some cases on human being, said Dr. Mumtaz Malik former Chief Conservator Wildlife Department Khyber Paktunkhwa Province.

Presently, he added, Ayubia National Park in Abbotabad district is the only sanctuary for leopards in Galliyat, but the area of the park is limited and the animal has spread into the whole region. Ayubia National Park is spread over an area of 3322 hectares and has now become less for leopards owing to increase in the population of animal in the park.

The sighting of leopard are now been reported from all over the the Galliat from Turnawai forest in the north of Murree hills in the south and Margalla hills in the west, he added.

Reduction in space at the Ayubia National park, the leopard shifts to other areas in nearby forests and due to lack of safe corridors during passage the animal is sighted by human beings and results in conflicts among each other.

The animal has also been frequently reported crossing the metalled roads around the National Park in Dunga Gali, Nathia Gali and Kalabagh, spreading fear among the locals.

Dr. Malik said during his tenure in office he had flouted a proposal for declaring whole Galliyat and its adjoining forest region from Haripure to Kohistan district as National Park with the objective of protecting and conserving common leopard.

The proposal was approved by the then Chief Minister, Mehtab Abbasi during the meeting of Wildlife Management Board, but ironically the decision was later shelved by bureaucracy, he informed.

DFO Wildlife Department, Asad Lodhi who has done his thesis on conservation of leopards in Ayubia National Park while completing MS in Wildlife Biology from University of Montana (USA), when contacted suggested for setting up of a state of the art Leopard Conservation and Monitoring Center at Galliyat.

The center, to be manned by experts of international repute in wildlife biology, should not only serve to conduct study and research on leopard habits in the wake of continued decrease in its habitat, but it should also chalk out measures for educating people as to how to behave while living in proximity with wild cats, Lodhi added.

Asad Lodhi also suggested for introduction of Trophy Hunting Programme in Galliyat with the objective of involving communities in protection of the animal.

He said the Markhor Trophy Hunting programme in Chitral and Kohistan districts has shown very positive result and the wild goat which was once included in the list of endangered species is now in significant number in the country.

According to estimates of human-leopard conflict during the last 17 years in Galliyat, twelve humans were devoured by wild cat while locals killed 44 leopards in self defence, Lodhi informed.

He said Aybia National Park is among the best preserved areas in terms of biodiversity and natural resource conservation in the western Himalayas. However, wildlife conservation in the face of pressures from the surrounding communities for subsistence on the park resources offers a great challenge.

He said the Conservation and Monitoring Center at Galliyat should gather information for understanding the biology of the species along with increased tolerance among the people. —APP

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