On the herpetofauna in Loi Bher Wildlife Park, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Abstract

The amphibian and reptilian species are considered excellent indicators of the relative amounts of microhabitats in any ecosystem, and features such as lotic water, permanent & temporary lentic water, rock & litter/debris vegetation, live vegetation, dead vegetation, plant species, and soil are important determinants of herpetofaunal abundance. The study on habitat preferences enables to comprehend ecological role and to predict the effect of habitat change on a species. Such studies are also very crucial for not only sustaining the species in captivity but also for designing their conservation strategies in the natural environment. The available literature lacks any significant work on the abundance of herpetofauna and its association with habitats in various ecological zones of Pakistan. Khan (2006) has provided a general account of all known herpetofauna of Pakistan. Masroor (2011) has given an annotated checklist of herpetofauna of Margalla Hills National Park, Islamabad. Tabassum et al. (2011) have estimated population of skittering and bull-frogs in Rawal Lake, Islamabad. Thus far little effort has been expended on establishing a standardized monitoring program for herpetofauna mainly because of paucity of data pertaining to habitat requirements and partitioning.