KARACHI, In a meeting chaired by Sindh’s Interim Chief Minister Justice (Retd.) Maqbool Baqar, directives were issued to promote environmental tourism and implement scientific and controlled game management strategies, including trophy hunting.
According to Sindh CM House, Justice Baqar urged the wildlife department to collaborate with local communities for the conservation of precious wildlife habitats, particularly in regions not used for agriculture, such as arid and wetlands. The Chief Minister’s emphasis was on the protection of these areas to boost environmental tourism and to employ scientific and controlled game management practices.
In the briefing to the Chief Minister, the Chief Conservator Javed Mahar explained that trophy hunting is recognized as a management tool, where annual surveys of species are conducted to determine the number of mature males which often dominate the natural food chain. Trophy hunting is then allowed within the quotas established under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), managed by the CITES Management Authority. Mahar detailed that trophy hunting does not occur in protected areas such as national parks or wildlife sanctuaries but is restricted to game reserves and private or government lands.
In his explanation to the Chief Minister, the Secretary of Forest and Wildlife Najam Shah clarified that trophy hunting is not intended as a revenue-generating activity but rather as a means to involve communities in the management and protection of wildlife and their habitats. He assured that the approved ratio of benefit-sharing between communities and the government will remain intact.
Responding to queries about the Indus dolphin, it was reported that the population was recorded at 1,419 in 2019, and from 1995 to 2020, 200 dolphins were rescued. Further conservation measures for the Indus dolphin were advised by the Chief Minister. Additionally, the Chief Minister directed appropriate measures to protect migratory birds, emphasizing their treatment as guests deserving protection.