Saving the Margallas: Documentary counts dangers to park, habitat

ISLAMABAD:

A documentary exploring the beauty, uniqueness and importance of Margalla Hills National Park and counting the dangers of commercial interests and frequent tourist movement was screened at the ongoing literature festival at Lok Virsa.

The Dawood Foundation screened the 35-minute documentary titled “Margalla–Urban Wilderness” at the Teacher’s Literature Festival on Thursday.

The screening was primarily aimed to educate the younger generation that Pakistan is very vulnerable to the effects of climate change and degradation of environment will put a strain on the country’s resources and lead to natural disasters.

The park is dubbed as the beating heart of the nation’s capital, and is a dwelling of over 30 species of reptiles, 250 species of birds and nearly 55 different butterfly species and thus serves as a hot spot of great biodiversity and a wildlife corridor.



In 1980, nearly 16,000 hectors of forest became protected as part of the park, which in every autumn hosts over 100 different migratory bird species thus becoming a bird zone.

The park features well-marked trails that make it convenient for the tourists, hikers and bird watchers to explore it in detail.

The documentary counts that due to commercial pressures the boundary between the city and the park is in constant danger, while its value as a wildlife corridor has greatly been compromised.

It also feared that the influx of people in search of shelter to nearly 30 small settlements inside the park was also posing great danger to its natural beauty.

Brigadier Akram of Dawood Hercules Group said by providing a localised context to Islamabad’s young residents, “we hope that our message resonates better and children will have a clearer understanding of human’s dependency on nature”.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2015.