LAHORE: The Punjab government has approved a Rs110 million project to preserve wildlife around the Taunsa Barrage.
The project i.e. Taunsa Barrage Wildlife Sanctuary (TBWS) has been developed by the Forests, Wildlife and Fisheries Departments and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan).
WWF-Pakistan has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Forests, Wildlife and Fisheries Departments in this regard as WWF and the provincial government will jointly implement this programme.
The plan aims to contribute towards better management of the habitat, wildlife and fisheries, social mobilisation, public awareness, environmental education, tourism and recreation in the buffer zones and floodplain management.
The Taunsa Barrage was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1974 under the Punjab Wildlife Act introduced in the same year. It is home to a variety of fish, reptiles, birds and mammals, including the Indus River Dolphin.
The site has also been declared a Ramsar Site, a wetland of global significance. In 2003, the World Bank had approved a $123 million loan to Pakistan to help renovate the structure of the barrage.
