HYDERABAD: Federal Government on Friday announced they would declare "Greater Thar" as a national park in consultation with the Government of Sindh and all stakeholders.

"The Ministry of Climate Change would work with Sindh Government to declare the greater Thar as a national park," this was announced by Naheed Shah Durrani, Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change during a webinar launch of a first-of-its-kind vulture status report on Sindh.

The launching ceremony was organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), Baanh Beli, and Sindh Wildlife Department, Government of Sindh.

The vulture preservation project is being undertaken by SECMC in partnership with IUCN, Baanhn Beli, and Sindh Wildlife Department. It is pertinent to mention that the area "Greater Thar" encompasses districts of Tharparkar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Khairpur, and Ghotki districts of Sindh.

According to a key finding of the report, a few species of the vulture populations are showing signs of an increase in the province despite some other vulture species still in decline, and apart from Tharparkar - long considered a stronghold of vultures - Khirthar National Park and its extended range up to Gorakh Hills too are now considered population habitat of these critically endangered birds in Sindh.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020