LAHORE: (APP) WWF-Pakistan urges government to protect migratory birds
Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan Chapter Manager Conservation Humera Aysha Wednesday urged the government to take necessary and legal steps for providing protection to migratory birds, visiting various wetland of the country against illegal hunting.
Talking to APP, she said the WWF had been making all out efforts to protect migratory birds from illegal hunting.
Humera mentioned a recent study of WWF-Pakistan which assessed the illegal trade of migratory species, including demoiselle cranes, and various species of migratory ducks in the local markets of Pakistan.
Highlighting the need for conservation of migratory birds and their habitats, she said different migratory patterns of various bird species were in the anthropogenic pressures which these birds face during their seasonal movement.
These birds also have ecological benefits as they prey on insects and weeds, thus contributing towards the betterment of agriculture, she said.
Humera emphasised the need for awareness among the public about the importance of migratory birds in the ecosystem of Pakistan.
She said that the Indus flyway is one of the seven routes around the globe birds use to escape severe weather conditions, and feed and breed in some cases.
The migratory birds escape harsh cold in Russia and China and travel more than 4,500 kilometres to enter Pakistan from the north and follow the mighty Indus River all the way down to the south, stopping at more than 300 water bodies and wetland dotting the land, she added.
She appreciated WWF-Pakistan's efforts for the conservation of bio-diversity and natural resources of the country.
Pakistan is also a party to the Convention on Migratory Species, the Bonn Convention, which carries the mandate of protection and sustainable use of the avian as well terrestrial and aquatic migratory species throughout their ranges.