The Margalla hill Nation Park is one of the ecologically significant protected areas in Pakistan. It was established on 27th April 1980 by the federal government in order to preserve the natural landscape of the surroundings of the capital city and biodiversity of the area. The total area of the park is 158,83ha.
Margalla hills represent a contact lone between two important biological regions, the great indo Himalayan ecosystem and the arid iranio saharan ecosystem. Two distinct ecological zones are found in the park i-e- subtropical pine forest and subtropical dry deciduous forest.
People in the surrounding areas of national park are highly dependent on national resources before 1999, after that CDA acquired whole park area and now their activities and dependent on mountain resources is bounded but still some areas are facing the problem of deforestation, misuse of other natural resources, human settlement, overgrazing and erosion. Park forests are highly damaged by high grazing and cutting of timber species.
Mother of all the problems of the park or any area is uncontrolled population as well as the low literacy and lack of awareness. Education has significant impact on the life of an individual. In this area education facilities are not adequate and only men can get education.
Another factor is over and uncontrolled grazing in unacquired area. Animals are allowed to graze any time any where without any manageable method or plan with thinking of carrying capacity.
A large number of tourists at every time in whole park area at all recreational sites are badly destroying the plants species. There is no awareness available at the spot to guide the tourists about the wealth of the area.
Illegal and unmonitored human activities in the forested area caused threats to forest ecosystem. These activities include the felling of trees for sale and domestic consumption, human induced fires to cut the land etc.
In all the conditions there is a need to prepare comprehensive management plan for Margalla Hills National Park which address all the problems of the area and initiate awareness in local people as well as in tourists.
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