The Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the

Naltar Valley The Naltar Valley () is a valley situated about from the city of Gilgit in Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan. It is a forested region known for its dramatic mountain scenery and for its three lakes: Strangi Lake, Blue Lake, and Bodlok Lake. Ski co ...

near Nomal, in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The Sanctuary was created on 22 November 1975 and consists of a steep-sided forested valley with high mountains on either side. A small number of Astor

markhor The markhor (''Capra falconeri'') is a large ''Capra'' species native to Central Asia, the Karakoram, and the Himalayas. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened since 2015. The markhor is the national animal of Pakistan, where i ...

are found here as well as other large mammals.

Location

Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Naltar Valley close to

Hunza Valley The Hunza Valley ( bsk, , Wakhi: '; ur, ) is a mountainous valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, formed by the Hunza River, bordering Ishkoman to the northwest, Shigar to the southeast, Afghanistan's Wa ...

, a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, about from the city of Gilgit.

The sanctuary

Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary was created on 22 November 1975. It occupies an area of and adjoins two other protected areas, Sher Quillah Game Reserve and Pakora Game Reserve, the total area of all three being over . Naltar Valley is a fluvio-glacial valley with a U-shaped cross section higher up and a V-shaped cross section lower down. It is aligned from northwest to southeast and has high mountains on either side. The sanctuary extends from the valley bottom up to at Shanni Glacier. The precipitation varies between and the winters are very cold, with the higher reaches of the river freezing.

Flora

The sanctuary is forested, there being a luxurious growth of mixed montane broadleaf and coniferous forest at lower altitudes, and montane coniferous forest higher up. Coniferous species present include '' Picea'' and '' Juniperus''.

Deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

trees present include '' Fraxinus'', ''

Olea ''Olea'' ( ) is a genus of about 40 species in the family Oleaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Middle East, southern Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and Australasia. They are evergreen trees and shrubs, with small ...

'', ''

Pistacia ''Pistacia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. It contains 10 to 20 species that are native to Africa and Eurasia from the Canary Islands, all of Africa, and southern Europe, warm and semidesert areas across Asia ...

'', ''

Sageretia ''Sageretia'' (mock buckthorn or sageretia) is a genus of about 35 species of shrubs and small trees in the family Rhamnaceae, native to southern and eastern Asia and northeast Africa. They have small green leaves 1.5–4 cm long, and a ...

'', ''

Betula A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 t ...

'', ''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

'', '' Populus'' and ''

Krascheninnikovia ceratoides ''Krascheninnikovia ceratoides'', the Pamirian winterfat, is a plant species native to Central Europe and Southern Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. It has been reported from Russia, China, Mongolia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, ...

''. Herbs present include '' Artemisia'', ''

Haloxylon ''Haloxylon'' is a genus of shrubs or small trees, belonging to the plant family Amaranthaceae. ''Haloxylon'' and its species are known by the common name saxaul. According to Dmitry Ushakov, the name borrowed from the Kazakh "seksevil". In moder ...

'' and ''

Stipa ''Stipa'' is a genus of around 300 large perennial hermaphroditic grasses collectively known as feather grass, needle grass, and spear grass. They are placed in the subfamily Pooideae and the tribe Stipeae, which also contains many species for ...

''.

Fauna

A small number of

Astor markhor The Astor markhor or flare-horned markhor (''Capra falconeri falconeri'') is a subspecies of the markhor, native to Kashmir and northern Pakistan. To the west it reaches the easternmost parts of Afghanistan. The range of the Astor markhor is ver ...

(''Capra falconeri falconeri''), an endangered species of wild goat, lives in the reserve. Other large mammals present include the Alpine ibex (''Capra ibex''), the

snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus '' Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is es ...

(''Panthera uncia''), the

brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is ...

(''Ursus arctos''), the

grey wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly ...

(''Lupus lupus''), the red fox (''Vulpes vulpes''), the

beech marten The beech marten (''Martes foina''), also known as the stone marten, house marten or white breasted marten, is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America. It is li ...

(''Martes foina'') and the

leopard cat The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by hab ...

(''Prionailurus bengalensis''). About 35 species of bird have been recorded in the sanctuary, including the Brooks's leaf-warbler (''Phylloscopus subviridis'').

References

{{coord missing, Gilgit-Baltistan Wildlife sanctuaries of Pakistan Protected areas of Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit District