'First leopard preservation zone' inaugurated at Margalla Hills

Officials hope the step would help protect the critically endangered wildcat and promote tourism

ISLAMABAD:

The first-ever Common Asian Leopard Preservation Zone was inaugurated in the federal capital’s scenic Margalla Hills on Saturday.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam inaugurated the zone at the National Park Trail-6 that falls in Kalinjar area.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Aslam said that the conservation site would help protect critically endangered wildcat and promote wildlife tourism in one of the unique ecosystems close to a human settlement.

He congratulated Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) for their concerted efforts to preserve the common leopard. “Chairperson IWMB Rina Saeed Khan, ZB Mirza and IWMB worked a lot for making it a reality,” he said.

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“We did not create it… rather nature helped it due to the protection efforts and favourable environmental conditions,” he said while speaking about the reserve.

The SAPM termed it imperative to create a balance with the nature and adapt to it as Covid-19 was a reaction to human intrusion into nature.

"It’s a reaction to the human being's conflict with nature that transferred Zoonotic diseases to mankind,” he maintained.

Aslam stressed that leopards remained critically endangered according to the listing of wildlife species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“Some 300 birds, 350 plant and 20 snakes species can be found at the Margalla Hills National Park that make it a biodiversity rich ecosystem,” he said and vowed to make the park, a model park as per Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision.

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The SAPM further said that there will be guided tours on the Trail-6 as it would no more be an open trail due to the presence of leopards. “Though it’s a nocturnal animal and will not be visible during day times but through this wildlife tourism initiative, youth and children would learn more about its movement and habitat.”

He went on to term the initiative an ecotourism promotion method to generate healthy revenue for the national exchequer.

Speaking on the occasion, Rina Saeed said, “leopards have become permanent residents of Margalla Hills National Park. The animal earlier used it to descend from the upper peaks in winter."

“We did a proper scientific camera trap study and placed 20 camera traps in the entire 17,000 hectares of the national park."

Saeed said so far, a minimum of seven leopards had been captured by the camera, adding there were probably more of them there. "Two males and a female are currently living in the Kalinjar area of Trail-6.

Also read: Leopards on camera: video shows resurgence of big cats in Islamabad

"Trail-6 was shut after the spotting of the first leopard and during the Covid-19 lockdown, its biodiversity thrived which increased the animal's population," he added.

She announced that the board would launch a tour once a day with 25-people batch so as to keep the leopards undisturbed.

“There will be a fee for the tour and the board is working out modalities for the initiative,” she added.

The official also said that a study for the scientific management of the park was also underway.

Later, the SAPM and members of the tour went for a walk on Trail-6 to observe the conservation efforts, leopard scats and footmarks.