STUDY OF ECOLOGY, DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY OF BIN QASIM INDUSTRIAL ZONE MALIR, KARACHI, PAKISTAN Page No: 5179-5192

Ubaid Ullah, Haji M Umar, M Asif Iqbal, Ghazala Yasmeen, Roohi Kanwal, Tahira A Lateef, Syed Ali Ghalib, M Zaheer Khan and Mirza Naim Beg

Keywords: Bin Qasim, industrial zone, ecology, flora, fauna, distribution, status.

Abstract: The present study was undertaken on the ecological distribution and status of the wildlife of Bin Qasim Industrial Zone area during the period of July 2019 to December 2019. As many as 80 species of flora, 11 species of mammals, 67 species of birds, 10 species of reptiles and two species of amphibians were recorded. Among the birds, out of 67 species, 39 species were resident and 28 species were migratory. Three species of birds viz. Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) was recorded as Vulnerable, Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) and Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) were recorded as Near Threatened. Among reptiles, two Poisonous snakes viz. Saw-scaled Viper (Echis carinatus) and Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus) were recorded from the area. No threatened species of reptiles was recorded. The amphibians are scarcely distributed in the area. Only one toad and one frog species were recorded. No Threatened species of amphibians was recorded from the aquatic, marshy area and were commonly found during monsoon. Large scale construction activities and vehicles movements take place in the area. The prevalent threats to the species are poaching, disturbance, loss of habitat, degradation of habitat, pollution and lack of conservation and management efforts. The area is very important nearest to the coast and serves as a buffer zone to Indus Delta (Ramsar Site) and it needs to be monitored and minimize the industrial pollution.



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