Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' Taunsa Barrage
Head Taunsa Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus in Taunsa district of Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab province of Pakistan.Ramsar site in Punjab
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 ...
. Taunsa Ramsar site is among 19 Ramsar sites in Pakistan. Taunsa Barrage was designated a Ramsar site on 22 March 1996. The western brink of Head Taunsa Barrage stretches around 5,000-km in
Kot Adu
Kot Addu ( ur, ) is capital city of Kot Addu District in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. This city is subdivided into 5 Union Councils of Pakistan, Union Councils
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 ...
, about 90 km from
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the old ...
and 10 km from
Kot Adu
Kot Addu ( ur, ) is capital city of Kot Addu District in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. This city is subdivided into 5 Union Councils of Pakistan, Union Councils
.
Flora and fauna
The forest includes plants indigenous plants to the Punjab region, such as:
Dalbergia sissoo
''Dalbergia sissoo'', known commonly as North Indian rosewood or ''shisham'', is a fast-growing, hardy, deciduous rosewood tree native to the Indian subcontinent and southern Iran. ''D. sissoo'' is a large, crooked tree with long, leathery leav ...
(Sheesham),
Acacia nilotica
''Vachellia nilotica'', more commonly known as ''Acacia nilotica'', and by the vernacular names of gum arabic tree, babul, thorn mimosa, Egyptian acacia or thorny acacia, is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa, the M ...
(Kikar),
Morus alba
''Morus alba'', known as white mulberry, common mulberry and silkworm mulberry, is a fast-growing, small to medium-sized mulberry tree which grows to tall. It is generally a short-lived tree with a lifespan comparable to that of humans, although ...
(White mulberry), Bombax ceiba (Simal).
Additionally, 14 mammalian species can be found in the forest (including
hog deer
''Axis'' is a genus of deer occurring in South and Southeast Asia. As presently defined by most authorities, four species are placed in the genus. Three of the four species are called hog deer. The genus name is a word mentioned in Pliny the Eld ...
,
jackal
Jackals are medium-sized canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed ...
,
mouflon
The mouflon (''Ovis gmelini'') is a wild sheep native to Cyprus, the Caspian region from eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran.
It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domestic sheep breeds.
Taxonomy
''Ovis gmelini'' was the sc ...
,
nilgai
The nilgai (''Boselaphus tragocamelus'') (, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus ''Boselaphus'' and was described by Peter S ...
and
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
)along with 50 bird species (including
Indian peafowl
The Indian peafowl (''Pavo cristatus''), also known as the common peafowl, and blue peafowl, is a peafowl species native to the Indian subcontinent. It has been introduced to many other countries. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and ...
,
Gyps bengalensis
The white-rumped vulture (''Gyps bengalensis'') is an Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2000, as the population severely declined. White-rumped vultures d ...
and other Asiatic vultures), six reptiles, two amphibians and 27 insect species. Aquatic species include Indus Dolphin (Platanista minor), Smooth-coated Indian Otter(Lutrogale perspicillata), Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and Pond Spotted
Turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...
(Geoclemys hamiltonii).
The wetland is also an important breeding site for the Lesser Whistling Teal (Dendrocygna javanica), RuddyCrake (Laterallus ruber) and Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus). The Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus), Ruddy Shellduck (Tadorna ferruginea), Painted Snipe (Rostratula benghalensis) and Pallas Fishing Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) are other important species found at this wetland. Other local bird species found are Black Partridge(Francolinus francolinus),
Grey Partridge
The grey partridge (''Perdix perdix''), also known as the gray-legged partridge, English partridge, Hungarian partridge, or hun, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. The scientific name ...
(Francolinus pondicerianus), Quail (Coturnixcoturnix), Blue Bird (Sialia sialis), Jungle Pigeon, Sun Bird, Doves, House Sparrow(Passer domesticus), Warblers, Russian Sparrow, Crow (Corvus splendens),
Owl
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
,Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and Crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis). Other largemammal species of concern are Jackal (Canis aureus), Cape Hare (Lepus capensis), Porcupine (Hystrix indica) and Wild boar (Sus scrofa).
2021 Fire
There was large fire in the Forest in March 2021 due to illegal and political control over forest and wood theft from forest by political leaders of the area Rind and Hanjra family. They burned the forest in their strife Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPA Muhammad Ashraf Khan Rind and Malik Ghulam Qasim Hanjra. The fire had burnt large tracts of the forest, spread over more than 2500 acres, killing hundreds of birds and animals.
Tourist attraction
It is popular tourist place of
Muzaffargarh
Muzaffargarh (Urdu and pa, , , Fort of Muzaffar) is a city in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the Chenab River, it is the capital of the district with the same name. It is the 39th largest city of Pakistan by populatio ...
district and surrounding areas. People come on weekends to enjoy nature and natural habitat.