Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) is a Pakistani government body operating under the Ministry of Climate Change. It is mandated to protect, manage, and conserve the

Margalla Hills National Park Margalla Hills National Park ( ur, ) is a national park in Pakistan located in Islamabad Capital Territory, near its northern boundary with Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The park includes the Margalla Hills, which form the foothills of ...

as its legal custodian. It was set up in 2015 under Section 4 of the Islamabad Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Ordinance 1979. It was officially notified on 7 July 2015 by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Rina Saeed Khan is the current chairperson of the board, having been appointed in 2021.

History

The

Federal Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territories, ...

issued the Islamabad Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Ordinance 1979 to protect the environment and wildlife in the

Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory ( ur, , translit=Vafāqī Dār-alhakūmat) is the only federal territory of Pakistan. Located between the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it includes the country's capital city of Islamabad. The terr ...

. The ordinance provided for the establishment of the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) in 1980, covering the

Margalla Hills The Margalla Hills () are a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park on the northern edge of Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayan foothills. Th ...

, Rawal Lake, and

Shakarparian Shakarparian (; also known as Shakarparian Hills) is a hill, and a national park located near the Zero Point Interchange in Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan Monument and Pakistan Monument Museum are also located in Shakarparian. The old Gakhars ...

. Moreover, a Wildlife Management Board headed by the Chairman of Capital Development Authority (CDA) and composed of CDA as well as federal government officials was also notified under this ordinance. This Board, however, was dysfunctional, while the National Park was being managed by the Environment Wing of CDA without oversight. On 30 September 2014, Z B Mirza, a

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

and field expert, filed a petition in the

Islamabad High Court The Islamabad High Court is the senior court of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, with appellate jurisdiction over the following district courts: * Islamabad District Court (East) * Islamabad District Court (West) Justice Aamer Far ...

, calling to attention the poor condition of the MHNP. A meeting attended by Mirza, the Cabinet Division, and CDA officials led to a discussion of the Board, and the resulting recommendations were sent to the federal government. As a result, the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) was notified on 7 July 2015. Dr. Anis-ur-Rehman was appointed the Chairman via a Cabinet Division notification on 10 August 2015.

References

{{Islamabad, state=collapsed Pakistan federal departments and agencies Environmental protection agencies Wildlife conservation in Pakistan