Pakistan’s one-shed wetlands, long a sanctuary for millions of wandering birds fleeing from Siberia’s brutal winters, witnessed a disturbing fall in aviary visitors.
Experts warn that a mixture of prolonged drought, receding water levels and growing the habitat degradation is driving away from these seasonal guests – some possibly too good.
The Southern Sindh province, a traditional favorite of migrating birds, has seen the most drastic decline. According to the Sindh Wildlife Department’s Waterfowl counting by 2024-25, the number of migrant birds dropped sharply from 1.2 million by 2023 to 603,900 in 2024 and only 545,000 this year, a dizzying decrease of over 50% in two years.
By 2023, the region experienced an extraordinary influx of birds, bent by the lingering effects of the catastrophic floods of 2022, which, while devastating to communities, temporarily revived Pakistan’s lakes, streams and lagons.
The exaggerated rainfall was replenished many wetlands, making them ideal resting sites for birds making the 4,500 kilometers (2,800 km) travel from Siberia to India via the Indus flight, with stopovers at various lakes and water reservoirs in Pakistan.
This year, however, tells another story.
“Sindh has long been a refuge for wandering birds because of its unique biodiversity and its many lakes, lagoons and other waterways,” Mumtaz Somro, an official from Sindh Wildlife Department, told Anadolu.
“But these numbers have seen a gradual decline since 2023 due to recurring water levels and drought.”
Soomro explained that the latest survey – covering 40% of Sindh’s territory – found remarkable lack of key birds, including Manchhar, Keenjhar, Hamal and Haleji Lakes, Nareri Lagoon and Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary.
These places, some of which are Ramsar-certified wetlands of international importance, have been central stopovers for migrant birds for decades.
“During the study, our team’s water shortages reported in most places, including the myrring Rann from Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary,” he said.
Shade of previous flocks
Migration is seasonal, with birds arriving at the end of August and departing in February. Among the over 50 registered species were gulls, mallards, plover, sniper, cormorant, cranes and storks.
The highest number of birds – 112,000 – was discovered in Nareri Lagoon, followed by 91,000 in Rann of Kutch.
But even these numbers are a shadow of previous flocks.
Zohaib Ahmed, a Karachi-based ornithologist, said climate change is not the only factor pushing wandering birds away from Pakistan as man-made habitat degradation, pollution and illegal hunting also play a significant role.
“Human -induced changes and violent human interference, often in the development name, have exposed these fragile ecosystems of wetlands to a number of threats,” Ahmed told Anadolu.
He emphasized that if the current trends of environmental neglect persist, Pakistan could lose his status as a preferred stopover for these avian travelers.
While the situation is especially serious in Sindh, other provinces also feel the effects.
In Punjab, although the latest study is still underway, officials estimate a similar downward trend.
“The fall is not sudden. It is gradual, and the result of climate change, mainly water shortages, seasonal disorders and lingering heat forms,” said Mudasser Hasan, vice manager at Wildlife Rangers Punjab.
Hasan confirmed that the health of Pakistan’s wetlands has worsened in recent years, largely due to climate -related shifts.
“The arrival of these birds in Pakistan is a seasonal migration, and it has understandably been disturbed due to seasonal disturbances,” he noted.
Pakistan ranks among the top 10 countries globally most vulnerable to climate change, with experts warning that erratic monsoon patterns, glacial and rising temperatures put unprecedented pressure on natural ecosystems, including those that are important for bird migration.
Despite the alarming trends, some officials claim that threats such as poaching and felling have been brought under control.
“Hunters and poachers are there, but they do not pose a major threat to migrant birds. It is climate change that really haunting them,” Hasan said, adding that provincial authorities have tightened the law of hunting life in recent years.
But not everyone agrees.
Ahmed, the ornithologist, competes this assessment, especially in Sindh: “At least for Sindh, I can say with bail that there is no fall in the hunting and felling of migrant birds, especially in the Karthar -Bjerg chain and Karachi’s coastal belt.”
He added that several migratory species are still sold openly in illegal bird markets, undermining conservation efforts and further contributing to the decline of the birds.
