MoCC to launch Red Data Book of indigenous flora and fauna: Zartaj Gul

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir Monday said the ministry of climate change (MoCC) was going to launch Red Data Book of indigenous flora and fauna as there has been no credible data available.

Addressing to one-day workshop on standardization of survey techniques for preparation of Red Data Book organized by Zoological Survey of Pakistan, she regretted that there was no data of inhabitants of the country for the last 21 years.

She said it was our government along with Pakistan Army made this happened as there was no information regarding the people living in the country.

“Within six months MoCC earnestly kicked off two projects particularly Clean and Green Pakistan and Billion Tree Tsunami that is the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan assigned to the ministry. However, today we are going to launch a parallel project of Red Data Book to these two projects,” the sate minister said.

She said, “The flora and fauna are the identity of an area which should be preserved in order to safe ecology. We are going to classify the wildlife found in our region.”

“There has been indiscriminate hunting of Demoiselle Crane (locally Koonj) in our region whereas the ministry will also work on reducing the permissible number of hunting for this specie as it is a very beautiful bird,” Zartaj Gul said.

The minister criticizing the former regimes said, “It has not been possible during the former regimes due to their poor policies and also they lacked the population data.”

The migratory birds, she said, had deviated from visiting our region as their excessive hunting was carried out in our country.

She lambasted the street performers as they used to tame black bears for dancing and pull their nails that was inhumane, adding, “how if the same has been done to them. At present, butterflies and parrots have been vanished from our hilly areas.”

Zartaj Gul said, “We are a very greedy and gluttonous nation as for the sake of monetary profits are using highly injurious chemicals that are disrupting our ecology.”

"We had destroyed our history and environment, she said adding “the European countries without any reason have exhibited themselves as the best places for wildlife whereas we also have one of the best and fascinating wildlife species in our country.”

She went on to say that every time the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was giving out programmes and documentaries on wildlife preservation and forest conservation in the Africa.

“The relevant stakeholders and civil society should provide us information pertaining to wildlife and ecology and the ministry will take action against the violators whereas it will not bother about any 18th Constitutional Amendment hampering it as we will work in every nook and corner of the country,” Zartaj Gul said.