Balochistan Forest and Wildlife Department Monthly Magazine VOLUME I
February 2015
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BFWD Monthly Magazine Email: tulaib_javid@yahoo.com
Balochistan Forest and Wildlife Department Monthly Magazine is a joint effort to raise the voice and to let everyone know about the collaborative efforts of the department. Its prime objective is to raise cognizance among masses and educate them of the importance of flora and fauna and highlight the issues and problems leading to the diminution of the flora and fauna of the province and their possible solutions, of course. Emphasis will also be paid to underline the value of biodiversity, special features, tourism and ecotourism sites of the province. We are very much grateful to all of our friends and colleagues who supported us by providing indispensable material of their particular areas and shared their experience and knowledge with us. We are looking forward for more participation from everyone in this compass. We would like to state it that this magazine is merely for educational purposes and in its very initial stages, so any material stated, illustrated will be solely for the said purpose and the rights rest with the author of that particular stuff. Finally we would like to say that the idea of BFWD Monthly Magazine was by Sir Muhammad Amin Mengal and all credit goes to him. Your suggestions will be of high value for us. Regards
Naeem Javid Muhammad Hassani Editor
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Table of contents February 2015
Contents
Page No
Welcome Note
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Hinglaj Nani Mandir Mela
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Raising of Juniper in Nursery
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Introduction to Pinus halepensis
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Forest Types of District Khuzdar
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Legal Classification of Forests
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How to Use Google Earth?
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Hingol National Park
Hinglaj Nani Mandir Mela By Naeem Javid Muhammad Hassani
H
Naeem Javid Muhammad Hassani is currently working as Deputy Conservator of Forests Naseerabad.
inglaj Nani “The heat is intense and the climbing is Mandir tough. The more located in we suffer; the more Hingol National Park reward we get. This is at a distance of is my third time about 300 km from consecutively I am Karachi and 140 km attending the occafrom Uthal – Head sion and I pray to Quarter of Lasbela ma’ata that I attend it in the upcoming District. Every year a years”. – said a pilthree day congregagrim while climbing tion is held at the site. over the ChandarPilgrims from all over Gup. A large numthe Pakistan and occaber of stalls were Interview of Shri Bhopal Das—Photo by author sionally from other established in the parts of the world vicinity of the Naniespecially India come to attend the world. People come here Mandir especially at its enthe three-day Mela. The three- for self-satisfaction and puri- trance way. Hinglaj Shew day Mela holds from 20th to fication of their soul. The im- Mandli Lasbela organized the portance of this mela is equiv- arrangements of the congre22nd of April last year. alent to performing of Hajj for gation. President Shew Man“Hinglaj Mandir dates back 0.2 Muslims”. _ further added by dli Shri Mukhi Shewa Raam million year. Hingol was the Shri Bhopal Daas said that they were not exname of a King who ruthlessly pecting such a large number More than 80,000 people of Yatri this year. Nevertheruled the area. The noble lady attended the mela this time. less, they left no stone un– Nani came as their savior They, at first, go to Chandar- turned to facilitate the piland decapitated the king. As Gup (a mud volcano at an ele- grims. The availability of food the last wish of the Hingol vation of 300 feet from sea and water and free boarding King, the area named as level and probably of the larg- was at the top priority. Free Hinglaj.” – stated by Shri Bhoest of its nature in the word). medical camps were estabpal Daas (Mahraaj present at lished by Health Department They, then, offer their prayers Mandir). and polio drops were given to at Ganesh, Kali Maata Yatra, children. Special Security ar“Every year more than 1 Lac Hinglaj Maata Mandir, and rangements were made by pilgrims come from all over finally to Anil Kumb. District Administration.
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Edhi Ambulances were present ton he site and a large number of Levies Force was also deployed in the area. The fire-brigade and other necessary arrangements were made by Muincipal Committee.
“Though the arrangements are better than previous years, yet we are lacking drinking water. The recent rains are a blessing and kept the environment pleasant”. – said a pilgrim The Hinglaj Mela occurs once a year. People attend the Mela – bath in the Holy Water from Anil Kumb and all their sins are washed away. People from India wish to attend the Mela but due to passport problems and law and order of the country they miss this sacred occasion. Soon after the mela the Shew Mandli and Hingol National Park Management coordinate with each other and clean the debris of the area and the contaminated water.
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Pilgrims on Chandar-Gup (Mud Volcano)
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Part—I
Raising of Juniper in Nursery February 2015
By
Sher Ahmed Divisional Forest Officer Kalat
Introduction
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aising of Juniper at Nursery is not an easy task. Those who have tried it growing in Nursery know that it is a hard nut to crack. I, being very interested in raising Juniper at Nursery tried a number of techniques; asked a number of fellows. In the long run I came up with an idea which I want to share with you. Raising a nursery is fun and it is the prime function of
Forest Department to focus on its native species like we are doing in Harboi area of Kalat District. The whole methodology is based on my hit and trial effort. I look forward for suggestions and rectification in this regard. I have been trying on this specific species since 2012 and in the end I came up with wonderful results. Here is the brief of events that took place during raising a Juniper Nursery at Kalat.
Part—I
Events July 2012: Juniper cuttings embedded in Polythene bags. Before embedding treated the cutting with an American liquid hormone. The results were excellent and after a laps of four months the cuttings were lush and green. ExChief Conservator of Forests Mr. Manzoor Ahmed, while on visit of Kalat Nursery, said that these will not flourish as these are gymnosperms, and, it happened. 5th January 2013: I took the dried cutting out of the Polythene bags. It was found that some of these have developed roots. It was, surely, because of the hormone applied. 10th March 2013: I removed all the cutting from the polythene bags and decided to embed these in spring season. On due time I alongwith staff went to Harboi Forests of Junipers and brought lush green cuttings from some plus tress and treated these with the hormone prior embedding. I also applied powder (hormone) on
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some cuttings and tagged the cuttings separately. The watering was done on regular basis but after a period of five (5) months ie in August 2013 all cuttings were dried out and all in vain. In another try I brought soil from Juniper Forests / zone and used these in polythene bags. August 2013: I took berries from various sites of Juniper Zone and divided these in three categories. 1) Soaked berries in water and kept in deep freezer. 2) Placed berries in deep freezer without water. 3) Each berry of Juniper contains four seeds. I broke the berries and took the seeds. The seeds were treated as follows: a) Treated with water b) Treated with fire c) Scarified the seeds d) Treated like a peanut (ie fried). The treated seeds were sown in polythene bags and beds as well and regularly watered for about eight (8) months ie till April 2014. Once again the results were zero and not a single seed germinated.
Raising of Juniper in Nursery Part—I
I called a meeting of staff who were performing their services in Juniper Zone and discussed the matter with them. Muhammad Akbar Game Watcher Dernalee told that a good seed year of juniper comes after three years. During a good seed year a migratory bird ‘chara’ or ‘gown chowk’ come here from lower lands mostly in November and December. The bird swallows the berries. The berries are not digested rather these come out in its droppings. The seeds are treated naturally and it results in the breaking of dormancy of seeds. So I directed the said game watcher to collect such berries. At the end of April 2014, he came up with 450 berries from various sites.
15th June 2014: Some of the berries germinated while 2-3 seedlings were seen in polythene bags.
3rd June 2014: Two berries germinated.
cism is totally welcome).
25th July 2014: The germination was in progress till 25th July 2014. About 120 seedlings have been reported out of 450 berries. Now the seedlings have height of 2” to 4”. As it is very hard to collect berries that have been treated (ie eaten by the ‘chara’ bird), I kept hen and feed those with berries. The berries are dipped in with flour and sun dried. The treated berries are collected from the faeces of hen.
This practice is in progress. When we collect 5 Kg of such treated berries, we will sow these in April th 5 May 2014: All these seeds were sown in poly- 2015. thene bags without any treatment – even without (The article will be updated and the progress will soaking in water. be shared in Part—II. Any suggestions / ideas / criti-
Model of Harboi at Jashn-eKalat Festival Pic courtesy: Sher Ahmed Divisional Forest Officer Kalat
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Pinus halepensis Miller (Pinaceae) An introduction to Pinus halepensis (Quetta pine).
COMMON NAMES: Aleppo pine, Quetta pine. DESCRIPTION: A medium sized tree 12 to 27 m tall with an average diameter of 0.4 m. The crown is rounded, diffuse with spreading branches. The needle are in twos, 6.25 to 15 cm long. It is monoecious. The male flowers or cones are many, crowded in head like clusters. The female flowers are erect and clustered at the ends of branches. The cones bloom between April and June. The fruit is the female cone. As it ripens it turns a shiny reddish-brown color. The seed in the cone takes a full year to mature after pollination or 2 years for the reproductive cycle to be completed. There are two, winged seed beneath each cone scale. Seed is shed September through October.
DISTRIBUTION: The tree is native to the Mediterranean basin. However it is not found in either Libya or Egypt. In Pakistan it has been successfully planted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, especially in Quetta with hand watering. SILVICAL CHARACTERISTICS: HABITAT AND ECOLOGY: An intolerant tree that grows on a variety of soils, including shallow, eroded and soils low in nutrients. Although it grows best on well drained soils it will not grow on saline or wet sites. This is one of the few pines that does grow on heavy clay soil. It is drought hardy and is well adapted to a precipitation zone of 250 to 800 mm/yr and can survive 7 to 8 months of drought. It prefers a semi-arid, cool temperate Mediterranean climate with a temperature range of -20 to 40 C at elevations up to 2000 m. It can withstand short periods of hard frosts. The tree is free of disease and insect problems. REPRODUCTION: It is reproduced from seed. Seeds crops are frequent and seed can be stored in sealed containers in a refrigerated environment for a number of years. PRODUCTIVITY: This is considered a fast growing tree. Yields of 3 to 12 m3/ha/yr have
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February 2015
An introduction to Pinus halepensis (Quetta pine). been recorded on different quality sites. Height growth of 0.3 to 0.5 m/yr has been recorded over a fifty year period. MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS: This is a valuable tree for reforestation and afforestation of denuded areas of Pakistan that have a Mediterranean type climate. WOOD PROPERTIES: GRAIN: Straight, medium fine and un-even textured. COLOR: Wood is light brownish white with an resinous odor. DENSITY: Specific gravity of 0.71. STRENGTH: Moderately hard, heavy. USES: Construction, fuel, resin, erosion control, and packing crates.
References & Courtesy: 1.
Sheikh,.M.I. (1993) Trees of Pakistan
2.
http://books.google.com/books/pdf/A_Description_of_the_Genus_Pinus.pdf? id=wOoCAAAAYAAJ&hl=ru&output=pdf&sig=ACfU3U1ucbex0B33L-phQqPNMxT47tVTmQ
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February 2015
FOREST TYPES OF DISTRICT KHUZDAR February 2015
By
Muhammad Amin Mengal Conservator of Forests Kalat Division INTRODUCTION: Khuzdar is the divisional head quarter of Kalat Division. In 1st March, 1974 it was declared as a separate district. It is situated at a distance of 305 Km from Quetta towards Karachi. The district has five tehsils namely Khuzdar, Wadh, Naal, Moola and Zehri. Jhal Magsi is in its East , Awaran & Washuk are in its West, Kalat is in its North and Lasbela is in its South. TOPOGRAPHY:
It is a mainly mountainous area consisting of numerous ridges and valleys of varying width. The important hill ranges are Pab, Kirthar etc. PRECIPITATION: Mostly rainfall occurs during the months of July and August during the period of monsoon but winter rainfall also occurs during the months of December to February. Mean annual rainfall is >100mm. TEMPERATURE: It has warm summer and mild winter. Average maximum temperature is 35-40 C during the month of June and Average minimum is 5-7 C during the month of January. ELEVATION: Khuzdar is at an elevation of about 1200m-1250m from sea level.
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FOREST TYPES OF DISTRICT KHUZDAR
Forest Types Khuzdar has diverse vegetation types due to its geographical position. It has three main Forest types namely: 1. Dry Temperate Forests 2. Sub Tropical Broad Leaved Evergreen Forests 3. Tropical Thorn Forests
1. Dry Temperate Forests: These forests have open vegetation and open undergrowth. These types of Forests are mainly situated at Transitional zone of district Khuzdar and Kalat, Tehsil Zehri and its adjacent areas. Main tree species are Juniperus excelsa (Hapurs), Pistacia khinjuk (Goan) and Shrubs are Artemisia maritima (Jir), Withania cougulans (Panerband), Alhagi camelorum (Shinz).
2. Sub Tropical Broad Leaved Evergreen Forests: Most of the area of District Khuzdar consists of this type of Forests and the areas having this type of Forests are Tehsil Khuzdar , Wadh Moola , Naal and Sub Tehsil Karkh and Ornach. Main tree species are Olea ferruginea (Khat/ Zaitoon), Dodonaea viscosa (Anar Terik/ Sanatha), Tecomella undulata (Parpuk), Dalbergia sissoo (Shisham), and shrubs are Nannorrhops ritchiana (Pish), Rhazya stricta (Hash warg) and grasses are Cymbopogon jwarancusa (Hawe), Lepidium draba (Garbust) Saccharum cilliare (Kashum).
3. Tropical Thorn Forests: The forests are mainly occur at the transitional zone of Khuzdar and Lasbela district and the areas having such types of Forests are Kuraro, Sonaro, Shah Noorani, and Saroona. Main tree species are Prosopis cineraria(Mar/ Kandi), Zizyphus mauritiana (Pissi/ Ber), Capparis aphylla (Kalir/ Karir), Salvadora oleoides (Kabar/ Peel), Acacia nilotica (Babur/ Kikar)
Tecomella undulata at Conservator of Forests Residence Khuzdar.
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Legal Classification of Forests
February 2015
Terminologies Legal Classes of Forest: Forests have been classified on the basis of ownership. The forests owned by the govt have been classified into: 1. Reserved Forests: In such forest, people have generally very few rights. The statement in that forest in which ‘all the actions are prohibited unless permitted’. This has been declared as reserved forest under the forest act 1927. The sub-classes of reserved forest are:
a. State Forest: Such forests exist in Balochistan and AJK, similarly municipal forest and cantonment forest can also be included under this classification. All the irrigated plantations are reserved forests.
b. Protected Forest: The standard statement is ‘that forest in which all actions are permitted unless prohibited’. People have some rights and concession in protected forest eg right of grazing and right of grass cutting. Generally protected forests are located close to inhabitations whereas reserved forests are located far away from habitation.
c. Resume Lands: These lands were taken over from big landlords by the Govt under various land reforms introduced in 1960 and 1977 and material-law regulations. Such lands which are managed by forest dept are called resume lands.
d. Unclassed Forest: The lands which have not been classified as any particular type of forest are called unclassed forests. The revenue from such land is collected by the revenue department. 2. Primary Owned Forests:
a. Guzara Forest: The forests which are the individual or joint property of families in village either managed by forest department or the co-operative societies. (60% owner; 20% forest dept; 20% development fund for nurseries, afforestation). Guzara forests are found in hazara division. Some parts of Muree, Kahota, and in Dir also.
b. Communal Forest: Communal forests are also a type of guzara forest. It is the joint ownership of all the villagers of a village. Such forests are found in Rawalpindi.
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February 2015
Terminologies C. Section 38 Areas: These are defined in section 38 of PFA. These are privately owned lands which are voluntarily or temporarily put under the control of Forest department for the conservation and preservation of soil and vegetation and agreement is signed between Govt and owner. D. Chos act Forest: According to this law, the Forest Department can take over private land for the purpose of soil and water conservation. After a treatment of 10-20 years. The lands are returned to the owner.
Photo courtesy: Sir Aziz Ahmad Jamali (Deputy
Commissioner Awaran)
BFWD Monthly Magazine
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How to Use Google Earth? By Naeem javid Muhammad Hassani
Have you ever wondered how to use the basic Google Earth features? If so, this guide could be a great help to you. Step - 1 Download and install the Google Earth program from the Google Earth download page.
Step – 2 Open Google Earth when it has downloaded and installed.
Step – 3 Using the software - Perform searches from the search box at the top left side of the program. You can type a place name, postcode, a town/city name, an airport or you can even try to type in a latitude-longitude location (in decimal format). Once you press the Enter key, you'll be "flown" to that destination.
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How to Use Google Earth? Step – 4 Drag the map around to move from one area to another. Utilize the zoom out and zoom in options from the buttons on the right hand side of the screen.
Step – 5 Turn the wheel in the top right corner to spin the item to a better understood angle. Whatever angle you choose, the angle will have to work best for you. Change this location even more by clicking the button in the center of it. You can change between Land mode and views from above. Sometimes, this can be useful!
Step – 6: Change views. To move from an aerial view to a view as if looking from the Earth, use the horizontal bar in the right hand corner.
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How to Use Google Earth? Step – 7 Look for the date the picture was taken from the bottom left hand corner of the screen. And scroll through the dates to see all the satellite images from different days of the year. Zoom to a place on the map where the satellite image has a date, click the "View" menu from the menu bar and click the "Historical Imagery" button to enable t. Drag the location of the toggle slider switch in the top left corner to a different date and see what the area was like.
Step – 8: Utilize the Layers button from the bottom left hand side of the screen.
Turn on Weather view from the Layers button in the bottom left corner. Click the drop-down negative sign and next to Weather and click both the "Radar" and "Clouds" options. You'll be able to see rain and snow and clouds and sleet on this map, just like you were looking at a weather radar on a TV screen weather broadcasting channel.
Turn on other buttons for additional items to view about the location. You can turn on Panoramio photos from exact locations where others have taken pictures of landmarks worldwide, or even turn on YouTube videos when these videos have been placemarked. Look through that list, and see if you can turn on other very useful features that show the world from the eyes of other viewers.
Viewers who love Hybrid mode on Google maps or the Hybrid mode on their iPhones or Android devices, may like to turn on the "Roads" aspect which shows you the roadways.
Give yourself some Wikipedia data. Turn on the Wikipedia option and you'll see data about the towns you're reading up on.
Look at the locations of epicenters to recorded earthquakes by turning on the Earthquake feature in the Gallery drop-down.
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How to Use Google Earth? Step – 9 View Mars, the night Sky(Sky), and the Moon in a picturesque satellite imagery. You'll find this toggle switch in the View-Explore drop down in the Menu bar.
Tips
Google Earth is jam-packed with useful things, and it would be nearly impossible to detail them all without burdening the reader with so much information that they might feel oppressed and become unable to find features that are useful.
Find out distances between two different cities is just one example of many that only an individual reader can determine if it might be useful for them.
First-time users might want to turn on the Tour's famous locations to view areas that are famous to see what they can spot.
Learn about other weird things that have been spotted in Google Earth via YouTube. Use "weird things in Google Earth" as your search term. You should be able to see some really weird stuff going on as the other viewer sees it..
Courtesy: www.wikihow.com
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