IUCN Management Category No category assigned

Biogeographical Province 4.08.04 (Indus-Ganges Monsoon Forest)

Geographical Location Situated in the Kala Chitta Hills of Punjab Province, about 60km south-west of Islamabad and 20km south-east of Campbellpur. Approximately 33°38'N, 72°31'E

Date and History of Establishment Declared a game reserve in 1983, having previously been protected as a reserved forest.

Area 132,611ha

Land Tenure State (Provincial Government of Sind)

Altitude Ranges from 250m to 710m.

Physical Features Kala and Chitta are two distinct ranges. Parent rocks are limestone and sandstone. The soil is thin and shallow in limestone areas but adequate for tree growth. That in sandstone areas is devoid of humus and supports only xerophytes (Aleem, 1977).

Climate Conditions are subtropical continental. Base on meteorological data for a 40-year period from Campbellpur, mean annual precipitation is 584mm, with nearly 50% falling in July-September, monthly mean maximum temperature is highest (40.8°C) in June, and monthly mean minimum temperature is lowest (2.2°C) in January (Aleem, 1977).

Vegetation The Kala Chitta Hills are covered by dry subtropical broad-leaved forest. In limestone areas, Olea cuspidata is dominant on northern aspects and Acacia modesta on southern aspects (Champion, Seth and Khattak, 1965).

Fauna The area is important for Punjab urial Ovis orientalis punjabiensis and chinkara Gazella gazella. In January 1976, some 47 urial were counted and 20-25 chinkara estimated within an area of 50 sq.km. Carnivores include jackal Canis aureus, Bengal fox Vulpes bengalensis, yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula and leopard Panthera pardus (T). The black-naped hare Lepus nigricollis is also present (Aleem, 1977).

Birds of prey include lanner falcon Falco biarmicus and peregrine falcon F. peregrinus. Common game birds are chukar partridge Alectoris chukar, see-see partridge Ammoperdix griseogularis and grey francolin Francolinus pondicerianus (Aleem, 1977).

Cultural Heritage No information

Local Human Population The area is sparsely populated (Aleem, 1977) but it is grazed by some 3,000 sheep, goats, cattle and camels (Pakistan Forest Institute, 1977).

Visitors and Visitor Facilities No information

Scientific Research and Facilities The urial population was censused on January 1976 and the vegetation sampled for palatible species (Aleem, 1977; Pakistan Forest Institute, 1977). It was subsequently censused in the winter of 1985/1986 by a team from the University of Edinburgh.

Conservation Value The reserve supports small populations of Punjab urial and chinkara.

Conservation Management Shooting of urial is prohibited. Grazing conditions are good, with little sign of overgrazing. The available forage was considered adequate to support domestic livestock and wild ungulate populations in 1976 (Aleem, 1977).

Management Constraints The vegetation is subject to felling and cutting practices, and poaching is commonplace (Aleem, 1977). Recent reports indicate that the urial population has been decimated (T.J. Roberts, pers. comm., 1986).

Staff No information

Budget No information

Local Addresses

No information

References

Aleem, A. (1977). Punjab urial in Chak Jabbi Area - Kala Chitta Range. Pakistan Journal of Forestry 27: 130-138.

Champion, H.G., Seth, S.K. and Khattak, G.M. (1965). Forest types of Pakistan. Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar.

Pakistan Forest Institute (1977). Annual Progress Report 1975-76. Pp. 19-21.

Date July 1986, updated August 1990