Introduction
High altitude wetlands, which include lakes, marshes, seeps, peat bogs etc, in the Himalayas have several characteristics that make them unique in terms of their biodiversity value. The plants and animals that occur in and around them are often endemic and highly adapted to their locations. Many of these wetlands depend entirely on snow melt or run-off from adjacent glaciers while often having outflows comprising small streams or rivers. Many of them also play an absolutely essential role in the hydrological regime of some of the world's largest and most important rivers: namely the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus, Yangtze, Yellow, and Mekong.
Indus River is the fourth major flyway (also called Indus Flyway) for bird migration. High Altitude Wetlands of Pakistan in general and of Gilgit-Baltistan in particular, being along the Indus Flyway are ecologically very important. These lakes and adjacent streams provide habitats, temporary and permanent staging, feeding and breeding grounds to migratory as well as resident water birds. Majority of the winter visitors enter the subcontinent via the Indus river valley and its northern tributaries. Although a significant number avoid the high mountains; Cranes, Snipe and Pelicans come by the Kurram River valley (Roberts, 1992). However, of the total birds species recorded from the territorial limits of Pakistan about 30 % visit for a significant period as long distance migrants and 28% are regular winter visitors to Pakistan. The insect life and vegetation cover becomes abundant after the monsoon in this area and so offer rich feeding conditions to the wintering birds. The common wetland birds that visit Pakistan include grebes (Podicipedidae), ducks and geese (Anseriformes), storks (Ciconiiformes), pelicans and cormorants (Pelecaniformes), herons (Ardeidae) spoonbill (Threskiornithidae) rails and crakes (Rallidae) cranes and bustard (Gruiformes) gulls (Laridae), waders (Calidridinae) and plovers (Charadridae). Utter, Handrap, and Shandoor lakes harbor around 230 species of birds - one of the most diverse populations in mountain regions of the world. Rare species like Lammergeyer and Golden eagle live and breed here while Demosile crane, Marbled teal and Red breasted merganser use the lakes for wintering, staging and feeding.
Sustainability of the fragile high altitude wetland ecosystems in Gilgit-Baltistan have been negatively influenced by a number of threats, both immediate and proximate, which include illegal hunting and poaching of wild ungulates and shooting of birds mostly for meat and sale; excessive cutting of forests for firewood and timber; over grazing of pastures by livestock; contamination of waters with chemicals and toxic wastes; unmanaged tourism; accelerated flash floods; glacial failures; landslides and river bank erosion. Causative factors being extreme poverty, lack of alternatives, weak enforcement of law, lack of awareness, education and stewardship and most prominently the changing climatic patterns.
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Mr. Babar Khan
Head WWF – Pak, Gilgit Baltitan
WWF – P, Regional Office, Gilgit
GCIC, NLI Colony, Shahra-e-Quaid Azam
Jutial Gilgit
Tel: +92 5811 455658
Email: bkhan@wwf.org.pk |
Mr. Garee Khan
GIS Analyst
WWF – Pak, Regional Office, Gilgit
GCIC, NLI Colony, Shahra-e-Quaid Azam Jutial
Jutial Gilgit
Tel: +92 5811 455658
Email: gareewwf@gmail.com |
