STAFF REPORT ISB: The AJK government and Mira Power Limited – a subsidiary of Korea South East Power (KOSEP) setting up 102MW Gulpur Hydro Power Project – have joined hands for implementation of a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) for the Poonch River Mahaseer National Park located in the districts of Kotli and Mirpur.
Both the sides signed an agreement in this regard. The AJK government established the national park for the protection of the Golden Mahaseer, which is a pried angling fish listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Poonch River is rich in biodiversity and is home to a number of other fish species, which need to be conserved.
Under the agreement, the company will provide supplemental funds for protection of the national park and for the construction of a hatchery for the Mahaseer fish.
The department will carry out protection of the national park with support from an independent organisation funded by the project. The company will also engage a firm for monitoring and evaluation of the protection to be put in place by the department, and the extent to which BAP objectives are achieved.