Satellite monitoring: Wildlife sanctuaries to be mapped through GIS

Punjab govt has initiated several development projects

LAHORE: Under the Green Pakistan Programme, a laboratory with geographic information system (GIS) will be used to monitor wildlife sanctuaries. An amount of Rs284 million has been allocated for the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department under the programme.

This was shared in a consultative meeting of the officials of the wildlife and parks department held to discuss how wildlife and their sanctuaries could be protected. There are four national parks, 37 wildlife sanctuaries as well as 24 game reserves in Punjab.

At the meeting, Planning and Development Department’s Agha Waqar Javed said the Punjab government planned several development projects for the promotion of wildlife department and funds had been allocated for the implementation of the projects.

The government has allocated Rs550 million in the yearly budget for the annual development programmes of the wildlife sector in Punjab.

The issues of wildlife protection, depleting breed of animals, use of scientific methods to protect animals and preservation of wildlife and its management were discussed in detail in the meeting.

The officials also talked about measures that should be taken to stop illegal hunting of animals and setting up of check posts through information technology to protect wildlife and also classify wildlife sanctuaries and wildlife game reserves and bird sanctuaries through GIS laboratory.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2016.