WWF warns govt’s development plans in Margalla Hills could cause ‘irreversible damage’

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan on Friday expressed “serious and escalating concern” over ongoing and proposed development activities in areas adjoining the Margalla Hills National Park, warning they could cause “potentially irreversible risks” to the capital’s fragile ecosystem.

In a detailed statement on X, the organisation said recent assessments of tree removal and land clearing in Islamabad indicate large-scale vegetation clearance and infrastructure expansion across multiple locations in the federal capital.

It said that Margalla Hills National Park and surrounding habitats represent a “critical ecological landscape”, serving as “the lungs and natural water filter to the capital city”.

“Development activities in close proximity to the park… pose serious and potentially irreversible risks, including habitat fragmentation, disruption of wildlife movement corridors, and degradation of essential ecosystem services,” the statement said.

WWF-Pakistan warned that ongoing road expansion, land clearing, and infrastructure work, including along the Margalla Enclave Link Road, had already caused “measurable ecological degradation”.

While acknowledging that some clearing may involve removal of invasive species, it said the scale and pattern of activity “strongly indicate broader development-driven impacts”.

The statement comes two days after the Ministry of Interior said that, in a meeting chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) headquarters, it was decided to develop a new park spanning 1,000 acres at the foothills of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad.

The meeting also reviewed in detail ongoing and future development schemes in the federal capital, such as five-star hotels, which would be built under joint ventures with internationally recognised firms, the ministry said in another post.

The organisation further raised concerns over reported plans for hotels, sports facilities, and other infrastructure in the Margalla foothills, saying there was limited public disclosure of environmental impact assessments and insufficient stakeholder consultation.

“WWF-Pakistan, along with other stakeholders, remains concerned regarding the limited availability of publicly disclosed Environmental Impact Assessments,” it said.

The group urged authorities, including the CDA and the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, to designate strict “no-go zones” within and around the park where development would be prohibited.

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It also called for all proposed projects outside these zones to undergo “comprehensive, independently reviewed Environmental Impact Assessments” with full public disclosure.

WWF-Pakistan further demanded the immediate suspension of all ongoing and proposed development activities in sensitive foothill areas until a transparent environmental review is completed.

The organisation said it remains committed to supporting a “science-based and environmentally responsible pathway forward” for the protection of Margalla Hills.

On April 17, the CDA counsel informed the Islamabad High Court that 12,800 paper mulberry trees had been removed from F-9 Park, citing health reasons as paper mulberry has been a major cause of allergies, and every year during spring, hospitals are filled with patients with respiratory issues.

However, the abrupt and large-scale nature of the cutting has sparked public outrage, raising questions about whether the city’s natural heritage is being sacrificed in the name of public health.

Field inspections from December, 2025 to January, 2026 highlighted massive clearing along the H-8 Islamabad Expressway, the Margalla Enclave Link Road, and Shakarparian, leaving large swathes of exposed soil and incomplete restoration.

A WWF-Pakistan report from last year exposed gaps in transparency, site-specific planning, and monitoring, raising doubts about the true intent behind the removals.