PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife and Biodiversity Board on informed to have achieved the target of enhancing protected areas for wildlife conservation from 10% to 15.38% during the last four year.
Briefing Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, the board officials said that in the past four years, nine National Parks, 87 Community Game Reserves, 38 Public Game Reserves and five other protected areas have been established across the province on an area of 1.564 million hectares.
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The meeting was informed that progress was also being made in designating more sites in the province as Protected Areas, including Rakh Topi National Park, Goshar National Parks, Bishkargol Reserve and Koh-i-Sulaiman Conservancy. Describing the increase in protected Areas in the province as an important achievement of the provincial government, the Chief Minister said that it will ensure the protection of wildlife, especially valuable species of animals and birds.
The Chief Minister termed the precious wildlife as very important for the protection of future generations. The chief minister directed the concerned authorities to pay special attention to further enhance protected areas for wildlife.
Provincial Minister for Forests and Environment Ishtiaq Urmor, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Secretary Dr Shehzad Bangash, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Amjad Ali Khan and Secretary Forest and Environment Muhammad Abid Majeed besides Administrative Secretaries and Departments of the concerned departments participated in the meeting.
The meeting also approved to provide financial assistance to the employees of Wildlife Department who were injured or martyred in the line of duty. The Board meeting also approved the establishment of a Biodiversity Fund. The board also approved to provide annual honorarium to the Peshawar zoo staff.