As many as 24 students of MSc Forestry class from Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI) Peshawar visited the country’s first ever leopard preserve zone being established in the biodiversity rich Margalla Hills National Park.
The student delegation arrived under the supervision of Dr Mamoona Wali Muhammad (Program Officer) to visit the “Leopard Preserve Zone” of Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP), a news release said.
Director (Wildlife) Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bangash and Deputy Director (Wildlife) Dr Ume Habiba of Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) welcomed the students and briefed the future foresters hailing from all provinces of the country about the Leopard preserv e zone (Trail-6) history and purpose of its declaration as a protected zone for the common Leopard being the Key Stone species in MHNP.
The park rangers also briefed the student delegation about guided tours, responsibilities, standard operating procedures (SOP’s) for their safety against animal attacks, regarding biodiversity protection and management of the National Park.
An interactive session of Chairperson, Rina Saeed Khan with the students was conducted in the evening at the Visitors Information Centre (VIC) of Trail-5.
The Chairperson briefed them regarding Protection and Preservation of MHNP and also discussed the current issues related to environmental changes and its impact on habitat of the wildlife.
At the end, the students extended their gratitude towards IWMB staff and thanked the chairperson for giving her time and sharing updated information on Margalla Hills National Park.
