© Zahoor Salmi
Wildlife
Pakistan is blessed with incredible biodiversity including endemic wildlife species. But these species faces many threats.
This complex web of life provides the natural systems we depend on – giving us essentials like water, clean air, fertile soils and a stable climate. It gives us food, medicines and materials, and supports millions of jobs. It also inspires people around the world – making our lives richer in all sorts of ways. 

From Indus River dolphins to snow leopards, Pakistan is also a home to amazing wildlife. Many are, however, in crisis. Numbers have fallen drastically over the years and species are going extinct at an alarming rate. We need to reverse this loss of nature and create a future where wildlife and people prosper again.

Our planet’s wildlife is in crisis – numbers have fallen by more than half since 1970, and species are going extinct at an alarming rate.

© Muhammad Osama / WWF-Pakistan
Disappearing species
Wildlife is disappearing on every continent, in every ocean, on land and underwater. And its fate is in the hands of just one species: Homo sapiens.
Human actions threaten wildlife in two main ways: by destroying and damaging the places where species live, and by using them in ways that are unsustainable.  

Vast areas of natural habitat continue to be lost to agriculture, urban sprawl, mining and infrastructure, or are suffering from the effects of pollution, introduced species that often out-compete native wildlife, and, increasingly, climate change.

Meanwhile, many species are declining because of unsustainable levels of hunting, fishing and harvesting. Others are being driven toward extinction to support the international wildlife trade, or killed when they come into direct conflict with humans and livestock.

Human actions threaten wildlife in two main ways: by destroying and damaging the places where species live, and by using them in ways that are unsustainable

What WWF is doing
Wildlife is an important component of the entire ecosystem and we want to see it thrive. WWF, along with its many partners, has been working to address from of the critical threats that wildlife in Pakistan faces.
We have been working with our partners for over four decades to ensure that the wildlife of Pakistan thrives.

By engaging communities and coordinating with government agencies, we are continuously making efforts to increase coverage and improve the management of protected areas.

Simultaneously, we are also tackling illegal wildlife trade by increasing capacity of rangers and law enforcement agencies and strengthening regulations and its enforcement. We also channelize our energies to increase public awareness and influence the consumer choices that demand wildlife products.

Wildlife 
© WWF-Pakistan

Fighting Extinction
Efforts in conservation has already seen some success with wildlife population such as that of the Indus River dolphin is now on a rise.
From just 500 to 600 individuals left, the population of the Indus River dolphin has now increased to about 2000 individuals. Once close to extinction, the long billed vultures’ population is on increasing since 2006 after banning the deadly diclofenac sodium.

People have benefited too. Protecting forests and other crucial habitats helps conserve the natural living resources that many communities depend on.  

These are positive signs and are helping to put us on the right path to a brighter future for people and nature. But we need to do much more to halt and reverse the decline in the world’s wildlife. Ultimately, our own well-being and survival depend upon it.