Azaղ :)

My heart is heavy today !!!! In 2024 and 2025, I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful forests of Shamshir Valley located in Allai District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to conduct field surveys for the elusive Western Horned Tragopan Pheasants. The surveys were supported by the World Pheasant Association (WPA) UK and Himalayan Wildlife Foundation in collaboration with KPK Wildlife Department. Through camera traps and direct photography, I recorded not only the elusive Western Horned Tragopan, but also the Himalayan Monal, Koklass Pheasants and Himalayan Snowcocks. This valley holds a viable population of Himalayan pheasants and other highly threatened wildlife species including Kashmir Musk Deer, Himalayan Black Bear and Leopards. Today I came across this heartbreaking video of these same forests being cut down. Fir, spruce and blue pine trees, some hundreds of years old, are falling for quick profit. I don't know whether this felling is legal or not. But I know that a tree that took centuries to grow cannot be replaced in our lifetime, and that the wildlife that depends on them cannot survive without their habitat. Pakistan is already among the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Floods, heatwaves and melting glaciers are our reality, not distant warnings. Our forests hold our soil, feed our rivers and shelter countless species. I urge the relevant authorities to: 1: Investigate this felling urgently 2: Stop any illegal logging immediately 3: Protect the remaining habitat of Shamshir Valley When we lose these beautiful forests, we lose wildlife, biodiversity and our own future. We cannot let greed outweigh what generations to come will inherit. Please share, so that those who can act will see this. Video Credits : Danish Abbasi Photo Credits : Mohebullah Naveed @WWFPak @ClimateChangePK @DrMusadikMalik @fkkundi @syedrizwanmehb1 @HamidMirPAK