:Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary
{{Short description|Wildlife in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan}}
The Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Naltar Valley near Nomal, in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.{{cite web |url=http://www.wildlifeofpakistan.com/sanctuaries.html |title=Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary |work=Wildlife sanctuaries/Game reserves |publisher=Wildlife of Pakistan |accessdate=29 September 2015}} The sanctuary was created on 22 November 1975 and consists of a steep-sided forested valley with high mountains on either side. The sanctuary is home to a number of large mammals, including a small number of Astor markhor.
Location
File:En Route Naltar. scene.jpg
Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Naltar Valley close to Hunza Valley, a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, about {{convert|45|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from the city of Gilgit.{{cite book|author=Green, Michael John Beverley|title=IUCN Directory of South Asian Protected Areas |url=https://archive.org/details/iucndirectoryofs90gree |year=1990 |publisher=IUCN |isbn=978-2-8317-0030-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/iucndirectoryofs90gree/page/159 159]}}
The sanctuary
Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary was designated as a protected area on 22 November 1975. It occupies an area of {{convert|27206|hectare}} and adjoins two other protected areas, Sher Quillah Game Reserve and Pakora Game Reserve, the total area of all three being over {{convert|50000|ha}}. Naltar Valley is a fluvio-glacial valley with a U-shaped cross section higher up and a V-shaped cross section lower down. It is aligned from northwest to southeast and has high mountains on either side. The sanctuary extends from the valley floor up to {{convert|5900|m|ft|-2|abbr=on}} at Shanni Glacier. The precipitation varies between {{convert|254|and|381|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} and the winters are very cold, with the higher reaches of the river freezing.
Flora
The sanctuary is forested, with a luxurious growth of mixed montane broadleaf and coniferous forest at lower altitudes, and montane coniferous forest higher up.{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sitefactsheet.php?id=16407 |title=Important Bird Areas factsheet: Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary |publisher=BirdLife International |accessdate=30 September 2015}} Coniferous species present include Picea and Juniperus. Deciduous trees present include Fraxinus, Olea, Pistacia, Sageretia, Betula, Salix, Populus and Krascheninnikovia ceratoides. Herbs present include Artemisia, Haloxylon and Stipa.
Fauna
A small number of Astor markhor (Capra falconeri falconeri), an endangered species of wild goat, lives in the reserve. Other large mammals present include the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), the brown bear (Ursus arctos), the grey wolf (Lupus lupus), the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), the beech marten (Martes foina) and the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). About 35 species of bird have been recorded in the sanctuary, including the Brooks's leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus subviridis).
References
{{reflist}}
{{Protected areas of Pakistan}}
{{coord missing|Gilgit-Baltistan}}
Category:Wildlife sanctuaries of Pakistan