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Changa Manga

Coordinates: 31°05′N 73°58′E / 31.083°N 73.967°E / 31.083; 73.967
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Changa Manga
Map
31°05′N 73°58′E / 31.083°N 73.967°E / 31.083; 73.967
LocationKasur District, Punjab, Pakistan
Land area40 acres (16 ha)

The Changa Manga is a planted forest and a wildlife park in Kasur District, Punjab, Pakistan.

Etymology

The name "Changa Manga" comes from the old story of two brother thieves, Changa and Manga, who used to hide in thick forests, along with their loots. Over the passage of time the stories have been molded into adventures that every child in that area is told, with added morals.

Forestry

The forest is entered from a road from off the N-5 Highway near Bhai PheruAnd Chunian . The forest covers an area of 48.6 square kilometres (12,000 acres)[1] and is one of the largest man-made forests on the planet. The planting and irrigation of the land took place in the 19th century under the British Raj due to the need for timber for the Indian Railways network. The most common species of trees are Dalbergia sissoo (sheesham), Acacia nilotica (kikar), both members of the Fabaceae native to the Indian subcontinent, white mulberry (Morus alba), popular in cultivation throughout South Asia, or Eucalyptus and Populus species.[2]

Wildlife park

The wildlife park in Changa Manga covers an area of 40 acres (16 ha) and was built in 2008. The park is home to species of hog deer, Indian peafowl, jackal, mouflon, nilgai and wild boar.[3] Changa Manga Wildlife Park is one of the three wildlife parks located in Lahore District, other two Jallo Wildlife Park and Lahore Zoo Safari, also called Woodland Wildlife Park.

Conservation

Breeding center

Changa Manga also serves as a wildlife breeding center.

Vulture center

Changa Manga plantation is also an important place for restocking projects of Asiatic vultures in Pakistan. A Gyps Vulture Restoration Program was started in 2006 by WWF-Pakistan to conserve and breed endangered species of Gyps, especially Gyps bengalensis.[4] The project is currently managed by Uzma Khan.

Recreation

Parts of the forest have now been developed into a recreation park with a railroad that gives the visitor a 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) ride on a miniature train through the forest. Other attractions include a water turbine, a waterfall, a children’s play area, and a lake called 'Lunar Lake', where boating is possible. Changa Manga Tourist Resort is situated 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Lahore city. The Tourist Development Corporation of Pakistan (TDCP) arranges picnic trips to Changa Manga throughout the year.[5]

Deforestation

The world’s largest artificial forest is being heavily logged, and so far more than 60 percent of Changa Manga Wildlife Park has been deforested.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Changa Manga Forest Railway
  2. ^ "Introduction to forests of Pakistan". rrcap.unep.org. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  3. ^ Ahmed, Shoaib (9 June 2005). "Wildlife Dept setting up 40-acre wildlife park at Changa Manga". Daily Times. Pakistan. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  4. ^ Murn, Campbell; Khan, Uzma; Farid, Faisal. "Vulture populations in Pakistan and Gyps Vulture Restoration Project" (PDF). vulturerescue.org. Vulture Rescue. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  5. ^ "Changa Manga". tdcp.gop.pk. Tourist Development Corporation of Pakistan. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  6. ^ Khan, Waqas A. "Mafia deforests 60pc of world's largest park". nation.com.pk. Daily The Nation. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
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