Hingol National Park

"Princess of Hope" rock formation in Hingol National Park.
Hingol mud volcano.
Hungol River estuary wetlands, and mesas.
Rock formation and dunes.

Hingol National Park or Hungol National Park (Urdu: ہنگول ) covers an area of 1,650 square kilometres (640 sq mi) and is the largest National Park in Pakistan. It was established in 1988.

Geography

Hingol National Park is located along the Makran coast in southwestern Balochistan Province, southwestern Pakistan. It lies within sections of Lasbela District, Gwadar District, and Awaran District. The Gulf of Oman of the Arabian Sea are to the south.[1] The provincial capital of Karachi is approximately 190 kilometres (120 mi) to the southeast on the coast.

Natural history

Flora

Hingol National Park contains a variety of topographical features and habitats, varying from arid subtropical forest in the north to arid montane in the west. Large areas of the park are covered with drift sand and can be classified as coastal semi desert. The park includes the estuary of the Hungol River which supports a significant diversity of bird and fish species.[2]

Some 250 plant species were recorded in the initial surveys including 7 yet undescribed species. Many more species are yet to be collected.

Fauna

Hingol National Park is known to support at least 35 species of mammals, 65 species of amphibians and reptiles and 185 species of birds. The park forms an excellent habitat to wild Sindh ibex, Baluchistan urial and chinkara gazelle. Ibex is found in all steep mountain ranges and numerous in the Hinglaj and Rodani Kacho Mountain areas. Total population is estimated over 3000.[3]

List of Faunas at Hingol National Park:

Mammals

Reptiles

Birds

Amphibians

Fishes

Important species

There are 14 species of birds of special conservation interest on account of being threatened (as per IUCN Red List 2005), very rare or key species of the park.[4]

Conservation

According to independent reports 20 staff members, 18 game watchers and 2 deputy rangers, are currently responsible for the management of the park. They are under the guidance of the park manager, who reports to the conservator and the Secretary of Wildlife, Forest, Livestock, Environment and Tourism.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wildlife of Pakistan - Hingol National Park
  2. ↑ "Country Report on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture – Pakistan" (PDF). parc.gov.pk. Pakistan Agricultural Research Council. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Hingol National Park". Pakistan Paedia: National Parks. JalalsPages. 12 September 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  4. ↑ Syed Ali Ghalib, Abdul Jabbar, Jan Wind, Afsheen Zehra, Darakhsan Abbas. (2008), Avifauna of Hingol National Park, Balochistan, Pakistan J. Zool, pp. 317-330
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Hingol National Park.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hingol National Park.

Coordinates: 25°36′N 65°40′E / 25.600°N 65.667°E / 25.600; 65.667


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.