AYUBIA NATIONAL PARK

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Ayubia National Park is located in NWFP Pakistan. It is a small natural park located at 26 km from the Murree hill station established in It has been developed as a resort complex from a combination of four mini resorts of Khaira Gali, Changla Gali, Khanspur and Ghora Dhaka in Galyat.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION; 33.52'N-73.09'E PHYSICAL LOCATION: North of Murree in the Himalayan TOTAL AREA: 1,684 Hectares DATE ESTABLISHED: 1984 BEST TIME TO VISIT: March to September

Ayubia National Park was established in an east corner of North-West Frontier Province, a province of Pakistan. Since then it has been managed by the NWFP Wildlife Department. The purpose of establishing it was to conserve the temperate forests. HISTORY:

Originally, the park stood at an area of 857 acres, but in 1998 it was expanded to cover an area of 1685 acres. The total population of Ayubia and surrounding villages as per a 1996 census is 18,097 living in 2,311 households.

MANAGEMENT: The park has been managed by NWFP Wildlife Department under the 1975 NWFP Wildlife Act. The headquarters of the park is at Dunga Gali, which is situated at a distance of 34 km from Abbottabad and 30 km from Murree. National Park started from the behind of Ayubia Chairleft. In National Park walk track near about distance 6 KM from Ayubia Chairleft to Dong Gali.

CLIMATE: The climate of the park is cold in the summers, but harsh in the winters. While it remains only placidly hot in May and June, the cold sets in when the monsoons come to lash in late July and early August. In the winters cold increases in severity gradually and the park remains snow- capped through the later part of winters.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Standing at some 26 kilometers from the tourist hotbed of Murree Hill Station, over 100,000 tourists flock to Ayubia National Park and the places around every year. It is well known for its picnic spots.

WILDLIFE: This park provides refuge to the elusive leopard and the black bear. Bird watching is excellent here. Some of the bird species pass through the park on migration. The population of the Koklass Pheasant and the rare Kalij Pheasant are the highest known for Pakistan. Only 30 individuals of the Kalij Pheasant are known to exist in the park.

Koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)

Kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos)

FANA

Mammals Mammals in the park include Asiatic leopard (V) Black bear (T) Yellow throated marten (R) Kashmir hill fox (C) Red Flying squirrel (C) Himalayan palm civet (R) Masked civet (R) Rhesus Macaque (C)

Black bear ( Ursus thibetanus)

Yellow throated marten Martes flavigula) )

Kashmir hill fox ( Vulpes vulpes griffithi)

Northern flying squirrelNorthern flying squirrel ( Glaucomys sabrinus)

Masked Civet

Rhesus Macaque ( Macaca mulatta)

BIRDS: The Park harbors up to 203 species of birds. Birds in the park are– Golden eagle Himalayan Griffon vulture Honey buzzard Peregrine falcon Kestrel Indian sparrow hawk Hill pigeon Spotted dove Collared dove

Adult Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos

Himalayan Griffon vulture Gyps himalayensis) )

Peregrine falcon

Hill Pigeon (Columba rupestris turkestanica )

Indian sparrow hawk ( Spizaetus cirrhatus)

Kestrel

Spotted Dove ( Streptopelia chinensis)

Eurasian Collared Dove ( Streptopelia decaocto)

Around 21 plants here belonging to 19 families are known for their medicinal properties. Many of these are used in treatment of jaundice, stomach ulcers, snake bites, internal infections, diabetes, chambal and more. Some plants are known to have anti-cancerous effect as well. Also, some are used as biological insecticides and pesticides, mostly due to their insect- repellant nature. The World Wide Fund for Nature has launched an ethno-botanical initiative here "to demonstrate the sustainable use of plant resources as a means for protecting biodiversity.