Tech-driven conservation of wildlife on the cards
As many as 16,901 birds were freed and released into their natural habitats by the provincial wildlife department in 2020. PHOTO: COURTESY JAFFAR HUSSAIN MANDHRO/TWITTER
The Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation has devised a project for the breeding and conservation of wild birds, water birds and wild animals, their data collection and mapping through remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) in all the government and private forests as well as the national parks.
Sources said it will be implemented under the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami project. The continuation of the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami project in 2023 has been approved as well.
According to sources, under this project, the data on all types of trees in the forests will be collected and millions of new trees will also be planted under the spring plantation campaign in the next month of February. A two-day training of officers has also been completed for the formal launch of this project, the sources added.
All network administrators, geographic information system developers, remote sensing, GIS analysts, and data entry operators of the department participated in the training program.
Representatives of the World Wide Fund For Nature – Pakistan also participated in the programme. Experts including Green Pakistan Project Director Mudassir Hasan delivered lectures in this regard.
According to the forest department, work will be done throughout the year for the protection of wild birds in all the forests of Punjab and for the breeding of all such birds whose species are decreasing.
Hunting of wild animals, wild birds and waterfowl will be prevented under the project while fruit trees will be planted in the forests to provide food for them.
Ponds will be built in the forests in which fish will be released. Its objective is to ensure the breeding of waterfowl and their long and permanent stay in forests for food.
Under this project, round-the-clock monitoring with the help of CCTV cameras will be done in the offices and more trees will be planted in every forest for the breeding of wild animals.
Every government and private forest and the national park will be fully densified while Miyawaki forests will be planted in the government forests.
The number of national parks will also be increased and services of farmers and gardeners will also be obtained for this project.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2023.