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ISLAMABAD
Minister of climate change Sherry Rehman has said that Pakistan’s protected areas have suffered immensely due to the catastrophic impact of climate change.
While speaking at Trail 5, where a clean-up drive was organised by her ministry to mark the 75th Independence Day. She said “We lost several thousand trees to unprecedented forest fires this year. Most of them due to the heatwave and dry weather.”
“As human activities reduced due to the pandemic, wildlife, foxes, monkeys, jackals and so on reclaimed their spaces in the national park. Now, as we attempt to coexist, the first rule of sharing space is to make sure you’re leaving it behind just as you found it,” she added.
She further went on, littering of single-use plastics was becoming an issue in the Margalla Hills National Park, and if ingested by any wildlife it could be toxic and potentially life-threatening for them. “Margalla Hills National Park is our national asset. Islamabad is the only capital close to such a large national park in the world,” Ms Rehman continued, requesting hikers, citizens and tourists to bring reusable bags and bottles for recreational activities.
