The Punjab Irrigation and Power Department, Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department and WWF – Pakistan signed a letter of agreement on 11th March 2010 to conserve the Taunsa Wildlife Sanctuary. The agreement was signed by Rab Nawaz, Secretary Irrigation and Power Department, Babar Hasan Bharwana, Secretary Punjab Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries Department and Ali Hassan Habib, Director General, WWF – Pakistan. This is the first such tripartite agreement between these institutions.

The agreement includes development of an Education Centre at the Taunsa Wildlife Sanctuary to help in highlighting the area as a potential site of ecotourism.  The facilities to be set up at the centre include a section to highlight the history of the Taunsa Barrage and hydrology display, interactive educational displays highlighting the biodiversity and ecology of the Sanctuary, set up of a three dimensional display model to highlight the functions and significance of a wetland. The Punjab Wildlife Department will improve watch and ward by increasing patrolling. There is a plan to develop a management plan for the Sanctuary and mapping to delineate the boundary to protect it from encroachments. WWF - Pakistan will provide technical and financial help for the development and improving management of the sanctuary.

Speaking on the occasion Rab Nawaz, Secretary Irrigation and Power Department said that such partnership must be developed for the conservation of other important pond areas of Punjab giving revenue generation incentives to communities. Further he said that this agreement is a step towards achieving conservation goals of the wetlands. Babar Hassan Bharwana, Secretary Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries, said that this partnership will go a long way to the conservation of wildlife and riverine forest in Punjab.

Ali Hassan Habib, Director General, WWF – Pakistan thanked the two Secretaries for their collaboration and support and said this is a beginning of more ambitious conservation work on the wetlands of the province.

Taunsa Wildlife Sanctuary is recognised internationally through the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which was signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971 for the conservation and protection of ecologically important wetlands of the world.  Pakistan has a total of 19 Ramsar Weltands and Taunsa Wildlife Sanctuary is one of them. There are many important species found in Taunsa, endangered Indus Dolphin, Hog deer, 67 species of fish, 3 species of amphibians, 13 species of reptiles including critically endangered Chitra Turtle and more than 100 species of birds. It was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1972 and a Ramsar site in 1996. In addition, Taunsa Barrage is an extremely important headwork and serves a vital role in agriculture.

Uzma Khan,
Manager Conservation Programme
WWF – Pakistan, Ferozepur Road,
Lahore
Ph: 0092 42 111 993 725,
Fax: 0092 42 35862358,
Email: ukhan@wwf.org.pk