Daily Times

The Quaid e azam University (QAU) students and Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) volunteers jointly organized “Lantana Camara plant removal activity” at Trial-3 of the Margalla Hills National Park. The Lantana camara plant, an invasive specie, is proliferating in the National Park damaging growth of other Indigenous eco-friendly plants.

The objective of the activity was to remove the shrubs of Lantana as they are fire-prone and to support indigenous species regeneration.

The students completed the activity with all safety measures. An area of five Acres was cleansed of Lantana shrubs. Students were divided into 10 teams, and competition was set between them, with a Ten thousand rupees cash prize for 1st position and five thousand rupees for the 2nd position. Chief volunteer IWMB, Tassaduq Malik monitored and supervised the activity, and a Jury of Four members, including a foreign researcher from Germany, gave the decision on the top two positions.

At the culmination of the activity, refreshment facilities and appreciation certificates were given to the participants as a token of thanks. The response from students was quite enthusiastic, and environment experts and Volunteers of Margalla Hills National Park gave short speeches to engage students to conserve the green environment in the closing ceremony of the activity.