01/02/2021
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam will inaugurate a newly-established information and watch tower at Chinji National Park, Chakwal, on Monday.
Addressing the inauguration of a state of the art information center and watch tower established at Chinji National Park , he said the National park was declared a forest reserve in 1987 and only existed on papers where the Ministry of Climate Change in cooperation with the provincial Forest Department materialised the forest reserve project.
Amin said the national park was sprawling over 15,003 acres land with picturesque trails, green cover, a small dam newly built under the project and it also had a jeep track as well. "It is one of the national parks being established under Prime Minister Imran Khan's protected area initiative under which the existing 30 national parks have been scaled up to 45 with a 50 percent increase."
He said the information center was a modern facility developed at the pattern of global national parks with all necessary information pertaining to flora and fauna existing in the Park.
A watch tower built with stones was also set up with indigenous building material that provides a beautiful and complete view of the national park extended before its observer, he added.
He added that there were around 12 security guards hired to provide facilitation and monitoring of the park.
The SAPM said local communities were given green jobs under this initiative whereas no hunting was allowed in the national park.
He added that a track and trace system would also be developed at the national park to ensure navigation of the park guards and visitors.
The SAPM was also given a special briefing on the project and Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) project.
The initiative was a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project under supervision of the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with the provincial Forest Department.
The park, established in 1987 and located on Sargodha Road in Talagang district, is a protected area under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) category II, an official from Ministry of Climate Change told this agency.
The park is spread over 6,095 hectares, located close to the Salt Range, about 130kms from Islamabad in the south.
The deeply eroded land in the area consists of sandstone and igneous rocks
combined with small deposits of rock salt. Torrential streams and ravines pass through the area, adding to its beauty.
Biome — natural flora and fauna — is found in the park along with xeric shrub lands. It falls in the eco-region of Balochistan xeric woodlands; the area is characterised to have sub-tropical vegetation with several important
Plant species whereas it is a habitat for the threatened urial, golden jackal and grey fancolin.
Source :
Mr. Haider Awan
https://www.facebook.com/savioursngopk
https://www.dawn.com/news/1603392/information-watch-tower-being-opened-in-chinji-national-park
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40055785
