The Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination has approved trophy hunting quotas for the 2025-26 season, saying the decision is based on verified population surveys and scientific assessments rather than routine administrative practice.
According to a ministry spokesperson, the quotas were issued through the CITES Management Authority of Pakistan after examining population data submitted by provincial wildlife departments. The move is being presented as part of an effort to promote "transparent and evidence-based wildlife governance" in the country.
Pakistan, which is a party to both the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and CITES, is aiming to meet its international conservation obligations through what it calls sustainable-use practices, the spokesperson added.
The approved quotas apply to several high-value species, including markhor, Himalayan ibex, Sindh ibex, Blandford's urial, Punjab urial, blue sheep, and Kennion gazelle.
The ministry said the allocation process has been streamlined under Federal Minister Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, with a greater focus on transparency, accountability, and reliance on credible field data. It also acknowledged gaps in existing wildlife surveys and announced plans to standardize survey methods across provinces to produce more reliable and comparable population figures.
Officials maintained that regulated trophy hunting, when grounded in robust science and designed with community participation, can help finance conservation and give local communities a direct stake in protecting wildlife and their habitats.
The latest quota approval, the ministry said, is intended to support viable wildlife populations while also backing community-based conservation and providing socio-economic benefits to people living alongside these species.