Wildlife Becoming Vulnerable To Climate Change, Global Warming: WWF

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Nov, 2016 ) : Chief Technical Advisor World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan Chapter Dr Ejaz Ahmad Monday said that climate change and global warming were threatening wildlife which was an integral part of the country's biodiversity.

Talking to APP, Dr Ejaz Ahmad said that wildlife was an important resource with economic, cultural and recreational value to humans and an integral part of biodiversity of Pakistan. He informed that there were 26 national parks, 92 wildlife sanctuaries, 89 game reserves and 115 community reserves while the network of protected areas covered about 12 per cent of the land area of the country.

He said that wildlife was the most vulnerable to global warming. Dr Ijaz appreciated steps of the government to devise a comprehensive policy for the conservation of wildlife in Pakistan.

"The government is pro-active and keen to protect the wildlife and extending assistance to different organisations working in this field in the country," he said.

To a question, he said that a comprehensive policy shuld be evolved for the protection and conservation of wildlife, species and their habitat. Global warming and climate changes were forcing wildlife to change their behaviours such as many birds were nesting, breeding, and migrating earlier as winter season advent was too late and spring season was arriving sooner than before, he added.

He urged the government to take more solid steps to protect forest cover which was the main source of conservation of wildlife in Pakistan.