Punjab approves Rs9.4bn wildlife restoration and eco-tourism projects

The Punjab government has approved two major projects worth Rs9.4 billion aimed at wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, and the development of eco-tourism across the Salt Range and Koh-e-Sulaiman, marking the first integrated model of its kind in the province.

The initiatives span Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, Mianwali, and the mountainous Koh-e-Sulaiman belt, where scattered ecosystems and shrinking wildlife habitats will be restored through a unified strategy involving local communities.

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, 15 lodges will be handed over to formally registered Community-Based Conservancies (CBCs), which will manage wildlife-related conservation activities at the local level, according to official records.

Technical plans include the establishment of 20 partridge pre-release centres in the Salt Range and eight community breeding centres — each spread over 15 acres — to revive urial and chinkara populations. The government will also set up four official breeding centres, each over 25 acres.

A key component of the project is the development of a 300-acre enclosure in Koh-e-Sulaiman for the scientific reintroduction of urial, chinkara, and the Sulaiman markhor.

The second project, the Eco-Tourism Salt Range National Park, valued at Rs5.5 billion, focuses on building modern eco-tourism facilities. Plans include four eco-lodges, a tourist restaurant, a 20-acre family picnic zone, and the Salt Range Complex / Information Centre. Cable cars, zip lines, rock-climbing zones, hiking trails, jeeping routes, viewpoints, and animal watch points are also part of the design.

The project further includes construction of a new Motorway M-2 interchange, along with parking areas, trail networks, lake restoration, and other infrastructure to improve public access while ensuring environmental protection.

Officials from the Wildlife Department said the two projects represent the first attempt to bring conservation, tourism, and community partnership under a unified provincial framework. They noted that wildlife habitats in the Salt Range are under increasing pressure, and the new model reflects “evolved ground realities” while ensuring economic benefits for local residents.

Both projects are scheduled for completion by June 2027, with local communities welcoming the initiative as a significant step towards ecological protection and tourism-driven development.