LAHORE (Sarfrz Ali/Staff Report) – Wildlife is facing threats of existence due to global warming which is increasing day-by-day in temperate and less hibernating period.
This was said in a study report jointly conducted by Dr Muhammad Fiaz Qamar and Maryam Mukhtar of Department of Zoology, GC University.
They observed that droughts caused by global warming as well as day-by-day increase in temperature causing vast damage to our wildlife.
The shorter hibernating period is another threat which leads to significant decline in the population of several species including marmots, chipmunks and brown bears, they said, adding that all these
animals are either having shorter hibernating period or not hibernate at all due to global warming.
According to them, Pakistan is a home of vast diversity of wildlife that ranges from highest peaks to the driest deserts, to freshwater and marine environment to all places among them.
They said that there are about 22 species of amphibians in our country out of which 9 species are reported as endemic. Over 195 species of reptiles are present in Pakistan out of which 13 are endemic.
They said that in reference to birds, Pakistan is the home of about 786 species and about 174 species of mammals are found in this country.
They said that Pakistan is also the country that represents world’s smallest mammal, the Mediterranean pigmy shrew as well as the largest mammal in existence today, is the blue whale.
These abundance and diverse wildlife resources which are so important to our culture and well being faces a bleak future if we do not address global warming.
They said that rising temperature at sea levels and other trends have made green turtle to include in endangered species list.
They said that the rise in temperature causes the rise in sand temperature up to upper limit for egg incubation. Rise in sea level effect significant nesting beech areas on low level sand beaches.
They said that wildlife of any country depends on healthy habitat but the alteration in climate causes key change in habitat elements (temperature, fresh water, food resources etc) that are critical for the survival of wildlife and also damaging the natural resources.
The government should take stringent steps for the conservation of wildlife because it is very much imperative for our own existence as well as our culture and civilization, they added.
