KARACHI: A leading conservation group in Pakistan on Saturday praised local communities for helping protect the endangered markhor species, saying people’s efforts had reversed population decline and expanded habitat ranges, as the country marked the International Day of the Markhor.
Markhors are large wild goats native to the mountainous regions of South and Central Asia, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and parts of the Himalayan range. They are Pakistan’s national animal and are currently listed as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network, due to habitat loss, poaching and human disturbance.
The World Wide Fund for Nature’s Pakistan office (WWF-Pakistan) credited close coordination between communities, conservationists and government departments in regions such as Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan for positive conservation outcomes.
“Through capacity-building programs and engagement of local communities in conservation initiatives, a positive population trend has been observed in the markhor species,” it said in a statement.
Observed annually on May 24, the International Day of the Markhor was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2024 to raise awareness of the species’ ecological importance and the need for its protection.
“Conservation is not just about saving a species, but it is about preserving our shared future in harmony with nature,” said Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General of WWF-Pakistan.
The organization noted the International Day of the Markhor was an opportunity to recognize the ecological value of mountain landscapes, raise awareness of conservation challenges and honor the communities that helped pull the species back from the brink of extinction.
