‘Village Conservation Committees’ for Houbara

K-P Wildlife Dept working on a project for conservation and protection of the endangered Houbara Bustard.

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakthunkhwa Wildlife Department is working on a project for conservation and protection of the endangered Houbara Bustard in the southern districts of the province.

Under the project, an official of Wildlife Department said the community living in Houbara’s habitats would be organised for formation of village conservation committees (VCDs), in their respective areas, as these localities would be declared community game reserves for protection and conservation of this shy bird, which has been put in the threatened category by the IUCN.

“Work on feasibility study of this ambitious project is underway and a huge amount would be required to complete it in five years,” he said.

The official said the communities would be provided incentives in the form of basic physical productive infrastructure, saying that community representatives will be  given with the powers of wildlife officers under the relevant wildlife laws.

These steps will be taken to improve the Houbara’s habitats through feedlots and development of hiding cover. Intensive patrolling will be arranged during the migratory season to check illegal hunting, he added.

Houbara population has already started their journey from freezing Central Asian States to Pakistan due to limited resources of food there during the winter season. “The birds migrate to Pakistan in thousands and travels in flocks by crossing Chitral, Nowshera, Peshawar, Kohat and Lakki Marwat,” he added. “The large migratory birds arrive every year in Pakistan from the last week of November from Siberia and Central Asian Republics (CARs) and return in March,” he added.

Dr Mumtaz, former Chief Conservator K-P Wildlife Department said that the enthusiasm of the NGOs for preservation of the endangered species has been on the decline with the passage of time.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2010.