Forest Fires In Margallas Destroy Millions Of Species Water Source: Z.B. Mirza

The forest fires in Margalla Hills National Park, one of the world's unique ecosystems lying close to human population, is ravaging the water source of millions of species including plants, animals, microbes and even human beings

ISLAMABAD (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Jun, 2021 ) :The forest fires in Margalla Hills National Park, one of the world's unique ecosystems lying close to human population, is ravaging the water source of millions of species including plants, animals, microbes and even human beings.

Senior nature conservationist and head of Islamabad Wildlife Management board (IWMB)'s scientific committee Prof Z.B. Mirza told APP that it was never being proven that the forest fires could also be natural, anywhere in the Indo-Pak subcontinent.

Mirza said that these were man ignited, either accidentally or deliberately but very few people know about the magnanimity of the permanent ecological damage caused due to these fires, particularly to the protected areas, such as Margallah Hills National Park (MHNP).

"The forest fires in the MHNP, are usually not allowed to be prolonged. However, some big fires and the fires on the difficult slopes may prolong for days. The partly burnt trees often sprout after the rainy season," he said.

He mentioned that the assessment of the losses might not be calculated as very high, however, very few people know the real losses inflicted to the ecology of the area. "Even by the short duration fires the losses are colossal and permanent," he cautioned.

While explaining the mechanism of damage inflicted by the forest fire, Mirza said the fires first burn the fallen dry leaves and the pine needles which are highly inflammable, particularly in the dry summer seasons. "Of course, the garbage thrown on the slopes of the mountains also have inflammable material," he added.

"This layer of the organic matter becomes thicker as more leaves and pine needles fall gradually which insulates the top soil and saves its moisture from evaporation due to the heat from the summer scorching sun," he told.

"Below this layer and above the top soil is a great variety of microbes, macroinvertebrates, and the vertebrates, called soil biodiversity, are active. The microbial biodiversity comprises of bacteria, which decompose the dead organic matter along with the decomposing fungi," the senior conservationist said while enunciating the biodiversity inhabiting in MHNP facing serious damage during forest fires.

Mirza informed that a kind of fungus called mycorrhiza made available the soil nutrients and water to the roots of the plants. "The fungal hyphae or fungal strands form a microscopic network, connecting the roots of a variety of plants growing at a place to transmit nutrients and water. This layer of soil is called humus. In fact these are the workers of a factory, which manufactures nutrients for the plants growing on the soil from the dead leaves.

" Unfortunately, he said the humus layer was the first to burn due to the forest fires and the ashes were then washed down the slopes, even with the first rainfall of the rainy season that followed the dry spell.

To a query, he said the macroinvertebrates of the soil biodiversity comprised of snails, slugs, earthworms, spiders, centipedes, crickets, springtails, earwigs, termites, beetles, ants, millipedes, with a variety of their species.

"They are not passive below the humus and in the topsoil. Their mobility makes the soil aerated and most importantly increases the water absorption capacity of all the soil. Such soils absorb huge quantities of rain water and the subsoil water reservoirs are filled," he said.

During the forest fires, he said macroinvertebrates get roasted, or if the fire was not prolonged, some of these creatures attempted to go deeper in the soil, if the heat conduction was slower than their digging speed.

He regretted that the hot and dry season in MHNP coincides with the breeding of birds. "Their nestlings get burnt alive," he said while expressing his sorrow over the loss of bird life.

He informed that the soil vertebrates comprised of usually the toads, lizards, thread snakes and other nocturnal snakes, mice, rats, even carnivores in their burrows and dens. "Slow animals like pangolins cannot escape fast spreading fire. These are completely burnt or get burns from the fire," he underscored.

Mirza said with the burning of the top protective layer of the grasses and other plants, the layers of the soil were eroded one by one until bare rocks become exposed. "It took millions of years to cover these mountains with soil. Believe this or you yourself try to make a teaspoon full of soil by rubbing two stones. Nature also made soil with rubbing and crushing process of the rocks," the senior conservationist said while elaborating the soil erosion process due to fires.

"All plants and animals dispersed to new habitats after centuries of time span to adapt the conditions of the new habitats. This is how Margallah got its floral and fauna wealth," he said when asked about the nature of species living or adapting to a habitat.

He went on to mention that a criminal did not merely start the forest fire rather he contributed in destroying water source for a large area.

"Please do not estimate the losses from forest fires in rupees. One cannot estimate the losses to the ecology of which millions of people are beneficiaries," he added.

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