Karachi: On Endangered Species Day, WWF-Pakistan has underscored the escalating threats to the country’s iconic wildlife, including habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and human-induced pressures that are pushing several species towards extinction. According to WWF-Pakistan, the organization is collaborating with government bodies, researchers, and local communities to implement conservation initiatives that target various threatened species such as white-rumped vultures, long-billed vultures, cheer pheasant, great Indian bustard, freshwater turtles, Indian pangolins, Asiatic black bears, snow leopards, and the blind Indus dolphin. These initiatives incorporate habitat protection, scientific monitoring, community engagement, and policy advocacy to safeguard Pakistan’s unique biodiversity.

Among the most pressing concerns is the critically endangered status of the white-rumped vulture, with fewer than 50 individuals estimated to remain in the wild. WWF-Pakistan has responded by establishing a captive breeding facility and developing vulture safe zones to mitigate the dangers posed by toxic veterinary drugs. The organization currently manages 33 white-rumped vultures within its conservation breeding program.

Beyond individual species efforts, WWF-Pakistan is ramping up measures to combat illegal wildlife trade, a major threat to species like the Indian pangolin. Over the past year, more than 100 rangers and officers from Punjab, Sindh, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir have received training in wildlife crime prevention and species identification. Additionally, a Zero Poaching Plan for Deva Vatala National Park and a National Strategy for the Prevention of Illegal Wildlife Trade have been developed.

Through active community engagement, WWF-Pakistan has established Pangolin Protection Zones and rescued at least seven Indian pangolins, releasing them back into the wild. Recent sightings of the snow leopard in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan have been noted as encouraging, though not indicative of a population recovery, according to Rab Nawaz, Senior Director Programmes at WWF-Pakistan.

Muhammad Jamshed Iqbal Chaudhry, Senior Manager Research and Conservation, emphasized the importance of Endangered Species Day in highlighting the need for collective conservation efforts to ensure the survival of these species for future generations.