INTRODUCTION
MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK, PAKISTAN
Margalla hills national park is connected to the foothills of the Himalayas. Margalla hills are covering an area of 12605 hectares. Margalla hills national park also includes Shakarparian and Rawal Lake.
LOCATION OF MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK
Margalla hills national park is located north of Islamabad. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad governed by the Pakistani Federal Government.
Check out: Environmental Impacts of Growing Tourism Industry of Pakistan
TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS IN MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK
The mountainous area of Margalla hills national park is a famous tourist spot in the country that attracts many tourists/travelers from all around the world. It is a source of recreational activity for residents. This place has a huge diversity of plants, animals, and birds.
Read: National Parks in Pakistan – Fauna, Flora and Importance
FLORA AND FAUNA OF MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK
The flora and fauna of Margalla hills national park is listed below.
FLORA OF MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK
| Serial No. | Common Name | Scientific Name |
| 1. | Phulai | Acacia modesta |
| 2. | Indian Pine | Pinus roxburghii |
| 3. | Khair | Acacia catechu |
| 4. | Fire Flame Bush | Woodfordia fruticos |
| 5. | Indian Jujube | Ziziphus mauritiana |
| 6. | Himalayan Incarvillea | Incarvillea emodi |
| 7. | Giant Milkweed | Calotropis procera |
| 8. | Banjh Oak | quercus leucotrichophora |
| 9. | Hopbush | Dodonaea viscose |
| 10. | Indian Olive | Olea ferruginea |
FAUNA OF MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK
| Serial No. | Common Name | Scientific Name |
| 1. | Indian Saw Scaled Viper | Echis carinatus |
| 2. | Leopard Cat | Prionailurus bengalensis |
| 3. | Golden Jackal | Canis aureus |
| 4. | Indian Wild Boar | Sus scrofa cristatus |
| 5. | Jungle Cat | Felis chaus |
| 6. | Indian Pangolin | Manis crassicaudata |
| 7. | Indian Grey Mongoose | Herpestes edwardsii |
| 8. | Grey Goral | Naemorhedus caudatus |
| 9. | Indian Flying Fox | Pteropus giganteus |
| 10. | Small Kashmir Flying Squirrel | Eoglaucomys fimbriatus |
Also check out: 7 Must See Beautiful Natural Phenomena in Pakistan
BIRDS OF MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK
| Serial No. | Common Name | Scientific Name |
| 1. | Lappet-Faced Vulture | Torgos tracheliotos |
| 2. | Black-Winged Stilt | Himantopus himantopus |
| 3. | Black Francolin | Francolinus francolinus |
| 4. | Paradise Flycatcher | Terpsiphone paradisi |
| 5. | Spotted Dove | Spilopelia chinensis |
| 6. | Asian Koel | Eudynamys scolopaceus |
| 7. | Greater Coucal | Centropus sinensis |
| 8. | Rock Pigeon | Columba livia |
| 9. | Little Grebe | Tachybaptus ruficollis |
| 10. | Northern Pintail | Anas acuta |
You might also like: 30 Beautiful Birds Of Pakistan Pictures – Bird Biodiversity as many of the birds in this list are also found in Margalla Hills National Park!
EFFECTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK
Wherever humans go they are keen on leaving their footprints. Who knows the moon might have been subjected to degradation due to human activities, or astronauts might find garbage in space.. It seems more like a human intrinsic characteristic that represents a highly irresponsible attitude.
Every year, there is an incident of bushfire in Margalla hills national park. The reason is human error. The area of the national park covers subtropical pine forest and subtropical dry semi-evergreen forest. Any human negligence leads to fires. There have cases where social media celebrities or tiktok celebrities have intentionally set vegetation on fire to make videos!
The foreigners living in Pakistan more often have started posting “garbage collection” videos on social media to try to aware the masses and show that even “educated humans” act irresponsibly when they litter. Also read: Plastic Crisis: An Emerging Threat to Mountain Ecosystem.
Human-wildlife interaction has badly affected the wildlife of Margalla hills national park. Speeding cars, a huge amount of tourists and the large number of restaurants built in that areas as well as hiking trails and the waste that people leave behind is having a very negative impact on Margalla hills national park. Also read: Impacts of Unplanned Development on Northern Areas of Pakistan.
Also check out: Environmental Damage Due to Tourism Industry of Pakistan
DIRE NEED OF PAKISTANIS ACTING AS RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS
Pakistanis need to learn a hardcore lesson from foreigners that show their love anyway and play their role in making cities clean and green. Wherever you go, when you leave just to make sure you haven’t left any garbage there. We should act as responsible citizens and participate in activities that make our Pakistan cleaner and more beautiful than ever before.
You might also like to read: REVERENCE FOR NATURE – LISTENING TO THE CRIES OF DIMINISHING WILDERNESS IN PAKISTAN
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