Chitral National Park
Encyclopedia
Chitral National Park is one of the national parks of Pakistan
. It is located in Gol valley and Kafir Kalash land of Chitral District
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan beside the Chitral River, at a distance of two hours drive from Chitral
city. The park is also known as Chitral Gol National Park. The word Gol in the local language means 'the valley'.
of Chitral. The status of the park has been in dispute since and has become the issue of ongoing litigation between His Highness and the Government of Pakistan. The most recent decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has been that the park in its entirety is the personal property of His Highness. Thus the legal validity of its designation as a National Park has been challenged by judicial review.
trees .This park also serves to provide shelter to a vast diversity
of animals especially Markhor
, an endangered wild goat species. The subspecies, which occurs in the Park is the Astor Markhor
. Despite a decline from over 500 to only around 200 individuals in the park during the 1980s, Chitral National Park still holds the largest population of the Astor Markhor in the world.
Conifers
and Flowering Plants
Aves
Mammals
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is located in Gol valley and Kafir Kalash land of Chitral District
Chitral District
Chitral is a district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan that contains the town of Chitral. It has an area of 14,850 km² and a population of 318,689 at the 1998 Census, which had subsequently risen to about 378,000 people by 2004. It has one of the highest mountains of the world,...
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan beside the Chitral River, at a distance of two hours drive from Chitral
Chitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
city. The park is also known as Chitral Gol National Park. The word Gol in the local language means 'the valley'.
Legal status
Up until 1983, Chitral Gol was considered to be the private property of His Highness the MehtarMehtar
Mehtar is a Persian word meaning "Mighty" and was used in several ancient area of Pakistan to denote the local ruler. It is the title of the ruler of the former State of Chitral....
of Chitral. The status of the park has been in dispute since and has become the issue of ongoing litigation between His Highness and the Government of Pakistan. The most recent decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has been that the park in its entirety is the personal property of His Highness. Thus the legal validity of its designation as a National Park has been challenged by judicial review.
Parameters
The way leading to the park is quite narrow and dangerous, yet more risky during the rainy days. It is located between 1450 metres and about 5000 metres above sea level. It has an area of 77.5 square kilometres.Nature
This park includes three valleys. Several glaciers also lie in the park through which several springs make their way and ultimately form a stream of 18 metres. The cold water of this stream falls towards the east into the Chitral River. The park is rich in trees particularly CedarCedar wood
Cedar wood comes from several different trees that grow in different parts of the world, and may have different uses.* California incense-cedar, from Calocedrus decurrens, is the primary type of wood used for making pencils...
trees .This park also serves to provide shelter to a vast diversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
of animals especially Markhor
Markhor
The Markhor is a large species of wild goat that is found in northeastern Afghanistan, Pakistan , India, southern Tajikistan and southern Uzbekistan...
, an endangered wild goat species. The subspecies, which occurs in the Park is the Astor Markhor
Astor Markhor
The Astor Markhor or Flare-horned Markhor is a subspecies of the endangered markhor, native to Kashmir and northern Pakistan. To the west it reaches the easternmost parts of Afghanistan. The range of the Astor Markhor is very scattered. The largest population of only about 200 animals is found in...
. Despite a decline from over 500 to only around 200 individuals in the park during the 1980s, Chitral National Park still holds the largest population of the Astor Markhor in the world.
Conifers
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
and Flowering Plants
- Cedrus deodara (Deodar)
Aves
- Bearded Vulture
- Demoiselle CraneDemoiselle CraneThe Demoiselle Crane, Anthropoides virgo, is a species of crane that breeds in Central Asia and winters in India, with a few found in Cyprus and eastern Turkey as well. The crane annually migrates to Africa and South Asia in winter...
- Golden EagleGolden EagleThe Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
- Himalayan Griffon VultureHimalayan Griffon VultureThe Himalayan Vulture or Himalayan Griffon Vulture is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is closely related to the European Griffon Vulture, G. fulvus....
- Himalayan MonalHimalayan MonalThe Himalayan Monal, Lophophorus impejanus also known as the Impeyan Monal or Impeyan Pheasant or Danphe is a bird of genus Lophophorus of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. It is the national bird of Nepal, where it is known as the Danfe, and the state bird of Uttarakhand.Traditionally, the...
- Himalayan SnowcockHimalayan SnowcockThe Himalayan Snowcock is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae found across the Himalayan ranges and parts of the adjoining Pamir range of Asia. It is found on alpine pastures and on steep rocky cliffs where they will dive down the hill slopes to escape. It overlaps with the slightly...
- Chukar Partridge
- Snow PartridgeSnow PartridgeThe Snow Partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae found widely distributed across the high-altitude Himalayan regions of India, Pakistan, Nepal and China. It is the only species within the genus...
- Peregrine FalconPeregrine FalconThe Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
Mammals
- Himalayan Black Bear
- Astor MarkhorAstor MarkhorThe Astor Markhor or Flare-horned Markhor is a subspecies of the endangered markhor, native to Kashmir and northern Pakistan. To the west it reaches the easternmost parts of Afghanistan. The range of the Astor Markhor is very scattered. The largest population of only about 200 animals is found in...
- Ladakh UrialUrialThe Urial , also known as the Arkars or Shapo, is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis orientalis. Noticeable features are the reddish-brown long fur that fades during winter; males are characterized by a black ruff stretching from the neck to the chest and large horns. It is found in western...
- Red FoxRed FoxThe red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
- Siberian IbexSiberian IbexThe Siberian Ibex or Common ibex is a species of ibex that lives in central and northern Asia. It has traditionally been treated as a subspecies of the Alpine Ibex, and whether it is specifically distinct from other ibex is still not entirely clear...
- Snow LeopardSnow LeopardThe snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
- Tibetan WolfTibetan wolfThe Tibetan wolf , also known as the woolly wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to Central Asia from Turkestan, Tien Shan throughout Tibet to Mongolia, northern China, Shensi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and the western Himalayas in Kashmir from Chitral to Lahul. They also occur in the Korean peninsula...
- Yellow-throated Marten