Protected areas of Pakistan

As of present, there are around 400 protected areas in Pakistan that are recognized by IUCN. The total protected land area represents 13% of Pakistan's landmass as of 2020, The Government of Pakistan plans to increase it to at least 15% by 2023.^[1] As a signatory of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Pakistan is committed to expanding its protected areas to encompass 17% of its total territory by the year 2030. This ambitious goal aims to ensure the long-term conservation of nature, safeguard vital ecosystem services, and preserve the cultural values associated with these protected areas.^[2]

Statistics

Category	Total sites	Total area	Ref.(s)
National parks	37	1,191,323 ha	^[3]
Wildlife sanctuaries	100	4,912,531 ha	^[3]
Game reserves	77	3,026,842 ha	^[3]
Ramsar protected wetlands	19	1,343,627 ha	^[4]
Marine and littoral protected areas	9	1,186,437 ha	^[5]
Biosphere reserves	4	926,205 ha	^[6]^[7]

IUCN categories

IUCN Category	Total sites
IUCN Category Ia: Strict nature reserves	0
IUCN Category Ib: Wilderness area	0
IUCN Category II: National parks	5
IUCN Category III: Natural monuments	0
IUCN Category IV: Wildlife sanctuaries	62
IUCN Category V: Protected landscapes/seascapes	5
IUCN Category VI: Managed resource protected area	2
Unclassified areas	83
All IUCN Categories	157

Types of protected areas

National parks

Wildlife sanctuaries

Game reserves

Protected wetlands

Protected and reserved forests

Biosphere reserves

References

^ "Pakistan's 'Protected Areas Initiative'". The Express Tribune. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
^ "Govt notifies 11 sites as 'protected areas' for wildlife conservation". Dawn. 16 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Protected Planet | Pakistan". protectedplanet.net. World Database on Protected Areas.
^ "Ramsar Sites Information Service – Annotated List of Wetlands of International Importance Pakistan, 19 Ramsar Site(s) covering 1,343,807 ha" (PDF). rsis.ramsar.org.
^ "Managing Marine and Coastal Protected Areas: A TOOLKIT for South Asia - MCPAs of South Asia". www.southasiamcpaportal.org. Archived from the original on 14 October 2009.
^ "UNESCO's Approved Biosphere Reserves in Pakistan". www.pncu.gov.pk. Pakistan National Commission for UNESCO (PNCU). Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
^ Ahmed, Amin (22 June 2023). "Unesco designates two more biosphere reserves". Dawn. Retrieved 14 February 2025.

External links

"IUCN-Pakistan". Archived from the original on 21 June 2011.
"Pakistan | The Convention on Wetlands". ramsar.org.

[1] "Pakistan's 'Protected Areas Initiative'". The Express Tribune. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

[2] "Govt notifies 11 sites as 'protected areas' for wildlife conservation". Dawn. 16 January 2022.

[WDPA-3] "Protected Planet | Pakistan". protectedplanet.net. World Database on Protected Areas.

[RSIS-4] "Ramsar Sites Information Service – Annotated List of Wetlands of International Importance Pakistan, 19 Ramsar Site(s) covering 1,343,807 ha" (PDF). rsis.ramsar.org.

[5] "Managing Marine and Coastal Protected Areas: A TOOLKIT for South Asia - MCPAs of South Asia". www.southasiamcpaportal.org. Archived from the original on 14 October 2009.

[PNCU-6] "UNESCO's Approved Biosphere Reserves in Pakistan". www.pncu.gov.pk. Pakistan National Commission for UNESCO (PNCU). Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2025.

[7] Ahmed, Amin (22 June 2023). "Unesco designates two more biosphere reserves". Dawn. Retrieved 14 February 2025.

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v t e Protected areas of Pakistan
National parks	Ayub Ayubia Broghil Valley Central Karakoram Chinji Chitral Gol Deosai Deva Vatala Fairy Meadows Gumot Hazarganji-Chiltan Hingol Kala Chitta Kamal Ban Khunjerab Kirthar Lal Suhanra Lulusar-Dodipat Machiara Malakandi Margalla Hills Nizampur Panjal Mastan Saiful Muluk Shandur Sheikh Badin Tolipir Manglot
Wildlife sanctuaries	Astore Bajwat Baltistan Chashma Lake Cholistan Chumbi Surla Deh Akro Hub Dam Lehri Nature Park Naltar Nara Desert Rann of Kutch Ras Koh Taunsa Barrage Ziarat Juniper
Wetlands of Pakistan	Astola Island Chashma Barrage Chinna Creek Deh Akro Drigh Lake Rann of Kutch Haleji Lake Hawke's Bay Beach Hingol River Hub Dam Indus River Delta Jiwani Coastal Wetland Jubho Lagoon Keti Bandar Khanpur Dam Keenjhar Lake Miani Hor Ormara Turtle Beaches Rasul Barrage Rawal lake Sandspit Beach Tanda Dam Taunsa Barrage Thanedar Wala Uchhali Complex
Natural monuments	Bazar Caves Chandragup Chitarwata Formation Hingol Mud Volcano Kashmir Smast Paradise Point
Forests	Ziarat Juniper Forest Changa Manga Forest Chichawatni Plantation Lashari wala Forest
Biosphere reserves	Lal Suhanra Ziarat Juniper Forest

v t e Geography of Pakistan related topics
Landforms	Beaches Extreme points Glaciers Islands Lakes Rivers Valleys Volcanoes Waterfalls Hill stations Passes Deserts Mountains
Geology	Tectonics Mountain ranges Minerals Gemstones Desert regions
Subdivisions	Administrative units Divisions Districts Cities and towns
Environment	Environmental issues Ecoregions Fauna Flora Climate
Protected Areas	Biosphere Reserves National Parks Wildlife Sanctuaries Game reserves Protected wetlands World Heritage Sites
By province	Gilgit–Baltistan Islamabad Punjab (Lahore) Sindh (Karachi)

v t e Protected areas of Asia
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