'Bio-diversity Degradation Reaches Alarming Levels'

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jul, 2019 ) :The government has been urged to take concrete measures for checking further bio-diversity degradation in the country.

Talking to APP on Sunday, WWF former senior director Dr Ijaz said that a considerable decline had been observed in the forest cover as well as population of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles during the last decade.

He urged the government to evolve a comprehensive policy to stop wildlife degradation, adding that the population of wildlife had already been decreased by 60 per cent during the last 50 years.

Dr ijaz said that Pakistan was home to precious and most endangered species including white-backed and long-billed vultures, Indus dolphin, snow and common leopards, Arabian Sea humpback whale.

He said that environmental pollution, hunting, poaching and other human illegal activities were adversely impacting the biodiversity of Pakistan.

While stressing the need for collective efforts, he said that impact of human activities on the world's wildlife, oceans, rivers, forests and climate had reached alarming levels.

He underlined the need for global community to collectively rethink and redefine how we value, protect and restore our degraded nature, Dr ijaz concluded.