More than 700,000 guest birds started arriving in Pakistan through Indus Flyway, from Europe, Central Asian states and India. Pakistan's wetlands are no exception to hosting enormous biodiversity of migratory birds and some indigenous fauna. Each year, hundred of thousands of birds including cranes, geese, ducks, swans and waders migrate between their breeding grounds in the north and wintering grounds in the south.
These birds include some of the magnificent species such as demoiselle cranes and Eurasian cranes. Among them, central population of Siberian crane migrated until its extinction in 2002. Its western population, migrating between Iran and Russia, is at the brink of extinction, while its eastern population migrating between China and Russia is threatened with alterations in its habitat that might be massive due to planned dams, official sources in Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) told APP. Migration journey starts from Siberia to Pakistan and ends in India at Bahartpure. This route is known in the international migration routes as `Indus Fly-way No 4' or `Green Route', he added.
The distance covered by birds during migration is around 4500 kilometres. The migratory bird fly from Siberia to Afghanistan, Karakorum range, across river Indus in Pakistan and finally towards India. During their journey, the birds make stopovers at lakes and water basins at Nowshera, Tanda Dam in Kohat, Swat, Chitral, Punjab and at Haleji, Keenjaar and Lungsee lakes in Sindh. The Wildlife department, he said has taken a number of measures to contain hunting of migratory birds and in this regards work was done on organising communities along river Kabul and Indus.
"Earlier, before 1970 there was no rule for protection of migratory birds. However, after Ramsar Convention in Iran and Bonn Convention in Germany, laws to protect migratory birds were enacted". About reasons behind migration, he said cold weather compel the birds to move towards warmer areas, adding these birds have inherited a natural phenomenon of moving from one place to another for reproduction purpose.
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