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Wildlife of Punjab, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The wildlife of Punjab, India is rich, with 396 types of birds, 214 kinds of Lepidoptera, 55 varieties of fish, 20 types of reptiles, and 19 kinds of mammals. The state of Punjab has large wetland areas, bird sanctuaries that house numerous species of birds, and many zoological parks. Wetlands include the national wetland Hari-Ke-Pattan, the wetland of Kanjli, and the wetlands of Kapurthala Sutlej. Wildlife sanctuaries include the Harike in the district of Tarn Taran Sahib, the Zoological Park in Rupnagar, Chhatbir Bansar Garden in Sangrur, Aam Khas Bagh in Sirhind, Amritsar's famous Ram Bagh Palace, Shalimar Garden in Kapurthala, and the famous Baradari Garden in the city of Patiala.[1] There are a total of 5,167 floral, fungal, and faunal species in the state of Punjab.[2]
Parts of the districts of Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Nawanshahr, and Ropar contain sub-mountainous zones and undulating land below the Shivalik hills region.[2]
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Protected areas
Flora and fungi
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In the Punjabi-language, the word bir refers to reserved forest or village land set aside as common pasture.[2][4] Punjab used to have large forests and jungles, such as the Lakhi and Macchiwara jungles, that were used by Sikhs during historical periods of open-genocide and active-oppression against them, such as under the Mughals.[5] However, much of its former forests were subsequently cut-down.[5] Although, some forest cover remains, such as at the site of sacred groves, which are associated with local religious and cultural beliefs.[6] Sacred groves are referred to as jhidi in Punjabi and they harbour rare animal and plant species not found elsewhere in the state.[6] There are at-least nine major sacred groves in Punjab, India.[6] Aside from sacred groves, some remaining forest fragments can be found near Sikh gurdwaras and deras, such as Gurdwara Tibbi Sahib (Muktsar), Gurdwara Sattal Khara (Muktsar), and Dera Baba Dhyan Das (Mansa).[7]
Punjab has the lowest forest cover as a percentage of land area of any Indian state, with 3.6% of its total area under forest cover as of 2017.[8] A 2019 study found that 6.83% of the state's total geographic area was either under forest (3.67%) or tree cover (3.16%).[2] In-contrast, over 83% of the area of the state was agricultural.[2]
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Under Pahar Singh of Faridkot State, the jungles that surrounded Faridkot were deforested to clear the land for development.[9] During the Green Revolution, large tracts of jungles were cut-down in the state to make room for agriculture and forested areas were also cleared for road infrastructure and residential homes.[8] Various NGOs are working towards afforestation and reforestation of the state by launching educational drives, planting saplings, working towards regulatory changes, and pressuring organisations to follow environmental laws.[8] One NGO, EcoSikh, has planted over 100 forests, composed of native plant species, in the state using the Japanese Miyawaki methodology that are named 'Guru Nanak Sacred Forests'.[10][11][12] Native plant species are facing the risk of extirpation from the state but planting mini-forests throughout the land can help prevent this from occurring.[13] Prior to the Green Revolution, Butea monosperma (known as 'dhak' in Punjabi) trees were found in abundance in the state.[14]
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Fauna
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A few of the rivers in Punjab have crocodiles, including reintroduced gharials in the Beas River after half a century of their extirpation from the state.[15][16][17] Indus river dolphins can be found in the Harike Wetland.[18] The extraction of silk from silkworms is another industry that flourishes in the state. Production of bee honey is done in some parts of Punjab. The southern plains are desert land; hence, camels can be seen. Buffaloes graze around the banks of rivers. The northeastern part is home to animals like horses. Wildlife sanctuaries have many more species of wild animals like the otter, wild boar, wildcat, fruit bat, hog deer, flying fox, squirrel, and mongoose. Naturally formed forests can be seen in the Shivalik ranges in the districts of Ropar, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur. Patiala is home to the Bir forest while the wetlands area in Punjab is home to the Mand forest.[19] The local subspecies of blackbuck, A. c. rajputanae, is facing the risk of extirpation from the state.[20][21][22]
Botanical gardens exist throughout Punjab. There is a zoological park and a tiger safari park, as well as three parks dedicated to deer.[19]
The state bird is the northern goshawk (baz) (Accipiter gentilis),[23] the state animal is the blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), the state aquatic animal is Indus river dolphin (Platanista minor), and the state tree is the shisham (Dalbergia sissoo).[24]
Threatened and endangered species
There are a total of thirteen species (8 floral and 5 faunal) facing extinction in the state of Punjab.[2]
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List of natural areas in Punjab, India
Wetlands
Nature reserves and sanctuaries
Community and conservation reserves
- Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve (Keshopur-Chhamb Community Reserve)[3]
- Lalwan Community Reserve[3]
- Panniwala-Gumjal-Haripura-Diwankhera Community Reserve[3]
- Siswan Community Reserve[3]
- Rakh Sarai Amanat Khan Conservation Reserve[3]
- Bir Bhadson Wildlife Sanctuary[3]
- Roapar Wetland Conservation Reserve[3]
- Ranjit Sagar Dam Conservation Reserve[3]
- Beas Conservation Reserve[2][3]
Forests
Sacred groves
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State symbols
- State tree: Dalbergia sissoo (Tahli/Shisham)[2]
- State animal: Antelope cervicapra L. (Kala Hiran/Black Buck)[2]
- State bird: Accipiter gentilis (Baaz/Northern goshawk)[2]
- State aquatic animal: Platanista gangetica minor (Indus River Dolphin)[2]
See also
References
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