02-01-2012, 01:14 PM
Islamabad—Margalla Hills National Park is facing many threats including stone crushing,forest fires and tree cutting which ultimately will result in squeezing the actual core habitat and concentration of animal and birds species in certain pockets.
Ever increasing human settlements,mine crushing,fuel wood extraction,wildlife hunting,livestock grazing,road construction,air noise and water pollution and recently installed lights on the damn-e-Koh road are the main problems in the park area.
Talking to APP,Director Zoology Department,Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) Dr.Muhammad Rafique said such hurdles in habitat and resource partitioning will lead to competition among the species resulting in drastic changes in species composition and their associations.
He said this park is important as it forms the southern most distributional limit for many Himalayan animal species and the northern most limits for many species of the plain areas in the south.
This park provides refuge to many indigenous species locally migrating from northern parts of the country when these areas are packed with snow during winter season. It also serves as transit place for many migratory species of birds migrating from northern hemisphere and also serving as an important recreational place for the people of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Ever increasing human settlements,mine crushing,fuel wood extraction,wildlife hunting,livestock grazing,road construction,air noise and water pollution and recently installed lights on the damn-e-Koh road are the main problems in the park area.
Talking to APP,Director Zoology Department,Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) Dr.Muhammad Rafique said such hurdles in habitat and resource partitioning will lead to competition among the species resulting in drastic changes in species composition and their associations.
He said this park is important as it forms the southern most distributional limit for many Himalayan animal species and the northern most limits for many species of the plain areas in the south.
This park provides refuge to many indigenous species locally migrating from northern parts of the country when these areas are packed with snow during winter season. It also serves as transit place for many migratory species of birds migrating from northern hemisphere and also serving as an important recreational place for the people of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.