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

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

In a detailed statement on

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

“Development activities near 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 road expansion, land clearing and ongoing infrastructure works, particularly along the Margalla enclave link road, had already caused “measurable ecological degradation”.

While acknowledging that some land clearing may involve the removal of invasive species, he said the scale and type of activity “clearly indicates broader development-related impacts.”

The statement comes two days after the Interior Ministry 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 spread over 1,000 acres at the foothills of Margalla Hills in Islamabad.

The meeting also reviewed in detail the ongoing and future development projects in the federal capital, such as five-star hotels, which would be constructed through joint ventures with internationally renowned companies, the ministry said in another statement.

The organization further expressed concerns over plans for hotels, sports facilities and other infrastructure in the Margalla foothills, saying public disclosure of environmental impact assessments was limited and consultation with stakeholders was insufficient.

“WWF-Pakistan, along with other stakeholders, remains concerned about the limited availability of publicly available environmental impact assessments,” the statement said.

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

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He also called for all proposed projects outside these areas to be subject to “comprehensive, independently reviewed environmental impact assessments” and fully disclosed to the public.

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

The organization said it remained committed to supporting “a science-based and environmentally responsible path forward” for the protection of the Margalla Hills.

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

However, the abrupt and large-scale nature of the budget cuts 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 revealed massive clearance along the H-8 Islamabad Highway, Margalla Enclave Link Road and Shakarparian, leaving large areas of exposed soil and incomplete restoration.

A WWF-Pakistan report last year found gaps in transparency, site-specific planning and monitoring, raising doubts about the true intention behind the withdrawals.