Conserving nature: Govt approves Rs110m Taunsa Barrage wildlife project

WWF-Pakistan, govt to jointly run management plan.

LAHORE: The provincial government approved a Rs110 million management plan for the Taunsa Barrage Wildlife Sanctuary (TBWS) on Wednesday.

The plan has been developed by representatives of the Forests, Wildlife and Fisheries Department, the provincial  government and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan).

WWF-Pakistan and the government will jointly implement this programme, a statement issued on Wednesday said.

In this regard, WWF-Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Forests, Wildlife and Fisheries Department.

The plan aims to contribute towards better management of the habitat, wildlife and fisheries, social mobilisation, public awareness, environmental education, tourism and recreation in the buffer zones and floodplain management.

The Taunsa Barrage was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1974 under the Punjab Wildlife Act introduced in the same year.

It is home to a variety of fish, reptiles, birds and mammals, including the Indus River Dolphin.

The sanctuary embodies a large water reservoir and a series of ponds and lakes between embankments.

The core land area provides a typical ecosystem of riverine forests which is the habitat of threatened species like the endangered hog deer.

The site has also been declared a Ramsar Site, a wetland of global significance. In 2003, the World Bank had approved a $123 million loan to Pakistan to help renovate the structure of the barrage.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2015.