Under the new system, 80% of the revenue from legal hunting and trophy hunting will go to local communities, while a reward of Rs10,000 will be given for credible information on illegal hunting, particularly of urial and chinkara (Indian gazelle).
The partridge hunting season will run from December 1 to February 15, with hunting permitted only on Sundays, at specified notified locations, and with a valid license or permit.
Read: Punjab announces partridge hunting season with strict regulations
Chief Wildlife Ranger Mubeen Elahi said the province has introduced a comprehensive new policy this year that places local communities at the centre of decision-making, monitoring, and conservation efforts. He noted that the Salt Range has significant potential for eco-tourism, combining wildlife and natural landscapes that could help attract international attention through proper management.
Within the 80 hunting grounds, a limited number of permits will be auctioned, while formal applications from communities are being accepted. These initiatives fall under the chief minister’s Community Conservation Program, which will also fund breeding, rewilding, and local conservation projects.
This year, 16 international trophy hunting permits for the Punjab urial have been auctioned. Foreign hunters have shown particular interest in hunting wild boar and partridges in the Salt Range. Elahi said improved breeding could lead to more permits in the future.
The government is also transferring 15 eco-lodges to local groups to create year-round income opportunities through tourism, nature trails, and environmental activities, the wildlife ranger said.
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However, various Salt Range communities have declared they will not permit hunting in their areas. Village elders in Union Council Kohali and surrounding areas, including Tappa Phadial, Nathot, Dyal, Dhok, and neighbouring villages, have imposed a complete hunting ban in their areas.
A resident, Raja Basharat Ali, said this decision stands as a permanent social and regional law, separate from government hunting seasons or permits. While the government may allow hunting on notified lands with proper licenses, private properties, grazing lands, fields with standing crops, and mountain areas where livestock is grazed remain strictly off-limits, he said.
Ali noted that hunting disrupts crops and poses risks to local communities and livestock. Locals also maintain that the Salt Range’s natural environment provides a sanctuary for partridges, quail, and other wild birds that are integral to the region’s identity and ecological balance. Due to this, they maintain that hunting in these areas should not be allowed.
Another resident, Abdul Rahman, said recent rains severely damaged crops like peanuts and millet, with remaining crops devastated by wild boar attacks. He explained that a ban on culling wild boars by wildlife authorities has led to an increasing population of the animal and greater agricultural losses.
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Fahad Malik, wildlife conservationist and founder of the Mission Awareness Foundation, noted that the complete protection of wildlife requires banning both legal and illegal hunting. He observed that while hunting in ancient times was done out of necessity, continuing it as a recreational activity today is inappropriate.
Malik challenged the argument that legal hunting contributes to conservation, citing differences between Pakistan and India. He pointed out that despite sharing similar wildlife species and environments, India’s strict hunting bans have produced notably better conservation results.