Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
has 36
national parks
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...
( ur, ). As of 2012, 25 of these are under supervision of respective
provincial governments and remaining are in private care.
Only some of these are under the conservation scope of
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...
. Protection and conservation of the environment of Pakistan was included in the concurrent
constitution of 1973. As a result, ''Environment Protection Ordinance'' was enacted in 1983, which was mainly regulated by the Environment and Urban Affairs Division. Later, a new system of 'Modern Protected Areas' legislation began at the provincial level which assigned the protected areas with designations such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and game reserves. Further recommendations of the national parks of the
Indomalayan realm were highlighted in the
IUCN review of 1986.
Nevertheless, the development of national parks was mainly carried out by
National Conservation Strategy of 1992. Due to more awareness about their importance in conservation of biodiversity, 10 national parks have been established during the time period from 1993 to 2005.
According to the 'Modern Protected Areas' legislation, a national park is a protected area set aside by the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
for the protection and conservation of its outstanding scenery and wildlife in a natural state. It is accessible to public for research, education and recreation. In order to promote public use, construction of roads and rest houses is permitted. Use of firearms, polluting water, cleaning of land for cultivation, destruction of wildlife is banned in these areas.
The oldest national park is
Lal Suhanra in
Bahawalpur District, established in 1972.
It is also the only
biosphere reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
of Pakistan. Lal Suhanra is the only national park established before the
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
of the nation in August 1947. The main purpose of this area was to protect the wildlife of
Cholistan Desert
The Cholistan Desert ( ur, ; Punjabi: ), also locally known as Rohi (), is a desert in the southern part of Punjab, Pakistan that forms part of the Greater Thar Desert, which extends to Sindh province and the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is on ...
.
Central Karakoram in
Gilgit-Baltistan is currently the largest national park in the country, spanning over a total approximate area of . The smallest national park is the
Ayubia
Ayubia National Park ( ur, ), also known as Ayubia ( ur, ), is a protected area of located in Abbottabad District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It was declared a national park in 1984. Ayubia was named after Muhammad Ayub Khan (19 ...
, covering a total approximate area of .
National parks
Pictures
File:Baltoro glacier from air.jpg, Baltoro glacier
__NOTOC__
The Baltoro Glacier ( zh, 巴爾托洛冰川, ), at in length, is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions.The Fedchenko Glacier in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan is 77 km long, the Siachen Glacier which lies sou ...
is found in Central Karakoram National Park
Central Karakoram National Park ( ur, ) is a national park located in Skardu district of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. It encompasses some of the world’s highest peaks and largest glaciers. Internationally renowned for mountaineering, rock ...
File:Deosai Plateau 2.jpg, Plain of Deosai National Park
Deosai National Park () is a high-altitude alpine plain (plateau) and National Park located in Astore, Gilgit-Baltistan.
Deosai Plains are situated at an average elevation of 4,114 metres (13,497 ft) above sea level and considered as the s ...
File:HangolMudvolcano3.JPG, Mud volcano in Hingol National Park
Hingol National Park or Hungol National Park ( ur, ) is the largest national park in Pakistan, located in the Makran coastal region. The park covers an area of about and is located 190 km from Karachi in the three districts of Gwadar, Lasbe ...
File:Lulusar.jpg, Lulusar
Lulusar (), (), or Lalusar, is a group of mountain peaks and a lake in the Kaghan Valley in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Lulusar Lake
Lulusar Lake (also spelled Lulusir) is a lake at , and is the primary headwaters of the Kunh ...
at Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park
File:Dudipat lake1.jpg, Dudipatsar
Dudipatsar Lake ( ur, ), also known as Dudipat Lake, is a lake encircled by snow clad peaks in Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park. The lake lies in the north end of the Kaghan Valley, in the Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in north ...
at Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park
File:Saiful muluk during June.JPG, Lake Saiful Muluk
Saiful Muluk ( ur, ) is a mountainous lake located at the northern end of the Kaghan Valley, near the town of Naran in the Saiful Muluk National Park. At an elevation of 3,224 m (10,578 feet) above sea level, the lake is located above the tree l ...
at Saiful Muluk National Park
Saiful Muluk National Park ( ur, ) is situated in the Kaghan Valley within the Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The park was officially declared in 2003,
File:Toli Pir landscape (3).jpg, Toli Pir at Rawalakot
File:Cold water Spring in Kirthar National Park, Sindh, Pakistan.jpg, Cold water spring of Kirthar National Park
See also
*
Protected areas of Pakistan
As of present, there are around 400 protected areas in Pakistan that are recognized by IUCN. The total protected land area represents 13% of Pakistan's landmass as of 2020, The Government of Pakistan plans to increase it to at least 15% by 2023. ...
References
External links
National Parks of Pakistan- Pakistan Tourism Portal
- Manhoos
Most Beautiful Places, Parks in Pakistan for Visitors- Easypakistan
{{Asia topic, List of national parks of
National Parks
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
National parks
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...