CHAKWAL: Punjab government has approved two projects worth Rs9.4 billion for wildlife conservation, habitat restoration and promotion of eco-tourism in the Salt Range and Koh-e-Sulaiman.
The scope of these projects extends across Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, Mianwali, and mountainous belt of Koh-e-Sulaiman, where scattered ecosystems and shrinking wildlife habitats will be restored under an integrated framework.
The first project, “Punjab Wildlife Conservation and Habitat Restoration Programme for Community-Based Conservancies”, has been approved at a cost of Rs3.9 billion. Under this programme, multiple interventions will be introduced at various points in the Salt Range and Koh-e-Sulaiman to stabilise declining wildlife populations and directly involve local communities in the conservation model.
According to official records, 15 lodges will be handed over to local communities, where formally registered Community-Based Conservancies (CBCs) will oversee all wildlife-related conservation activities at the local level.
According to the project’s technical plan, 20 partridge pre-release centres will be established in the Salt Range, while eight community breeding centres will be set up to increase populations and restore habitats of ‘urial’ and ‘chinkara’, with each centre spanning 15 acres.
The government will build four official breeding centres, each covering 25 acres.
A major component of the project is construction of a 300-acre enclosure in Koh-e-Sulaiman, where urial, chinkara, and Sulaiman markhor will be reintroduced according to established scientific protocols.
The second project, “Eco-Tourism Salt Range National Park” carries cost of Rs5.5 billion. Its primary focus is developing modern eco-tourism infrastructure in the Salt Range, including four eco-lodges, a tourist restaurant, a 20-acre family picnic zone, and construction of the Salt Range Complex/Information Centre.
Facilities such as cable cars, zip lines, rock climbing areas, hiking tracks, jeeping routes, viewpoints and wildlife watch points are being designed at various locations.
The project also includes construction of a new interchange on Motorway M-2 at the Salt Range point, along with parking areas, trails, lake restoration and essential infrastructure to improve tourist access.
Officials say purpose of these measures is to manage public access to towering cliffs, valleys and wildlife of the Salt Range and to shape tourism in a way that is environmentally friendly and economically beneficial for local communities.
According to Wildlife Department, these two projects unite conservation, tourism and community partnership under a single integrated strategy for the first time in the province.
Officials noted natural wildlife habitats in the Salt Range are under increasing pressure, and these projects introduce a new model based on evolving ground realities, ensuring meaningful participation of local populations along with economic benefits.
Wildlife officials said the project has been given a completion deadline of June 2027. Meanwhile, local communities have welcomed the initiative, calling it a positive step towards the region’s development and its tourism potential.
