Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary:
District Magistrate Baramulla recently ordered the immediate closure of 14 gypsum mining units operating within the prohibited 1-km radius of Lachipora Wildlife Sanctuary.
- It is situated in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir near the village of Lachipora.
- It is located on the northern banks of the Jhelum
- Established in 1987, the sanctuary was primarily created to protect the endangered Markhor, a wild goat species known for its distinctive twisted horns.
- It hosts alpine meadows and rich biodiversity.
- The sanctuary features a diverse landscape with gentle to steep slopes and rocky cliffs.
- It supports a variety of flora, including coniferous forests of deodar, Himalayan white pine, and blue pine, and broadleaf forests with trees like birch, horse chestnut, West Himalayan fir, and Persian walnut.
- It is particularly renowned for being the habitat of the endangered Hangul deer, often referred to as the Kashmir stag.
- It is also home to several other mammal species, such as the Himalayan black bear, Snow leopard, Musk deer, and many more.
- Lachipora is also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA). It is home to the vulnerable Western Tragopan bird.
