LAHORE: For the first time in its history, Punjab has officially opened a regulated partridge hunting season by designating 80 specific hunting zones across the province.
The season will remain open from December 1 to February 15, while hunting will be permitted only on Sundays at officially notified locations, and only with valid licences or permits.
Authorities have announced that 80 percent of the income generated through legal hunting and trophy permits will be distributed among local communities. To curb illegal activities, a reward of Rs10,000 has been set for anyone providing credible information about unlawful hunting, particularly of protected species such as urial and chinkara.
Community-Led Conservation Approach
Chief Wildlife Ranger Punjab, Mobeen Ilahi, said a new, comprehensive policy has been introduced this year to ensure that local communities are actively involved in wildlife protection, monitoring and decision-making. He noted that the Salt Range holds immense potential for eco-tourism because of its rich biodiversity and scenic landscapes, which can be sustainably developed and promoted at the international level.
Under the Chief Minister’s Community Conservation Programme, a limited number of hunting permits across the 80 zones will be auctioned, with formal applications invited from local communities. The programme also includes funding for breeding centres, rewilding projects and community development initiatives.
So far this year, 16 international trophy hunts for urial have already been auctioned, bringing foreign hunters to the Salt Range for wild boar and partridge hunting. Officials indicated that the number of permits could be increased in the future, depending on wildlife population growth. Additionally, 15 eco-lodges will be managed by local communities to create year-round income through tourism, nature-based activities and guided trails.
Opposition from Local Communities
Despite the new policy, several communities in the Salt Range have opted out of the hunting programme. Following consultations, residents of Union Council Kohali in Tehsil Sohawa including villages such as Tapha Phadial, Nathot, Dial and Dhok have announced a complete ban on all forms of hunting in their areas.
While government permits will apply only to officially notified lands, private property, grazing areas, cultivated fields and hills used for livestock will remain strictly prohibited for hunting.
Rs9.4 billion conservation and Eco-Tourism Projects alongside the hunting season, the Punjab government has approved two major conservation and eco-tourism initiatives worth Rs9.4 billion. These projects will cover large areas of the Salt Range and Koh-e-Sulaiman, including Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, Mianwali and mountainous regions where shrinking habitats and broken ecosystems will be restored through a community-based approach.
The first initiative the Punjab Wildlife Conservation and Habitat Restoration Programme for Community-Based Conservancies carries a cost of Rs3.9 billion. Under this scheme, 15 lodges will be handed over to registered community groups to oversee local conservation. The plan includes establishing 20 partridge pre-release centres, eight community breeding centres for urial and chinkara spread over 15 acres each, and four official breeding centres covering 25 acres each. A massive 300-acre enclosure in Koh-e-Sulaiman will be developed for the scientific reintroduction of urial, chinkara and the rare Sulaiman markhor.
The second project, the Rs5.5 billion Eco-Tourism Salt Range National Park, will focus on building modern tourism facilities. These include four eco-lodges, a tourist restaurant, family picnic areas, hiking tracks, scenic viewpoints, cable cars, zip lines and off-road jeeping routes. A new interchange on the M-2 Motorway and supporting infrastructure will also be developed to improve access without damaging the natural environment.
Officials say these initiatives mark Punjab’s first fully integrated provincial model that combines wildlife conservation, eco-tourism and community partnership. Scheduled for completion by June 2027, the projects are expected to generate sustainable livelihoods for local communities while safeguarding the region’s fragile ecosystems.
