Lachipora Wild Life Sanctuary

Recent Conservation Action:
A major conservation effort has been taken by the District Magistrate of Baramulla who has ordered that 14 of the illegally operating gypsum mining units within the 1-kilometer prohibited zone around the Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary be closed down. This move reiterates the importance of ensuring that the fragile ecosystem of the sanctuary is not damaged in industrialism.

Location and Significance:
The sanctuary was founded in 1987 in the Baramulla district of Jammu & Kashmir on the banks of river Jhelum on the North. The main purpose of its establishment was to provide a home to the threatened Markhor, a magnificent species of wild goats that are characterized by their magnificent and spirally horns.

Biodiversity and Habitat:
The topography of the sanctuary, which is steep to low, rocky cliffs, and alpine meadows, promotes the abundance of diverse plant life. This has coniferous forests of deodar, Himalayan white pine, and blue pine, and broadleaf plants such as birch, horse chestnut, and Persian walnut.

Other endangered species also rely on Lachipora as their most important habitat besides the Markhor. It is also famous with the presence of the Hangul or Kashmir stag, which is one of the most endangered deer in India. Other important mammals such as the Himalayan black bear, Snow leopard and the Musk deer also find a home in the sanctuary.

Lachipora is an Important Bird Area (IBA)-designated site, which is a critical habitat of avian diversity, and most importantly, supports the endangered Western Tragopan.

In short, Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary is a crucial biodiversity hot spot in Himalayas. The recent ban of mining activity brings some light on its ecological significance and the current attempts to preserve its unique and endangered wildlife to the future generations.