Mammals of Punjab, Pakistan: Diversity, Conservation Status, and Emerging Threats

Atif Yaqub¹, Arbab Abid¹, Muhammad Saad¹, Khansa Mushtaq¹, Zainab Hassan¹, Hammad Iqbal¹, Bilal Mustafa²

1Department of Zoology, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan

2Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, 76402, Texas,

Corresponding author: Atif Yaqub, atif@gcu.edu.pk
Running Title: Mammals of Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract: Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan, has a surprisingly wide range of habitats within a relatively narrow strip of latitude, from the dry Cholistan Desert and irrigated agro-ecosystems of the central plains to riverine forest tracts along the Indus tributaries and dry subtropical hills of the Salt Range and Potohar Plateau. The environmental mosaic supports a relatively diverse mammalian fauna, although the province’s site-specific surveys and taxon-specific research are scattered among numerous publications, and have not been synthesised previously. This narrative assessment integrates data from 31 published sources to describe species diversity, habitat affinities, conservation status and anthropogenic threats to mammals in Punjab. Reported species richness at individual survey sites ranged from 12 to 23 species, with Rodentia and Carnivora consistently the most diverse orders and the family Muridae the most frequently dominant taxon. Several species of high conservation concern persist in the province, including the endemic Punjab urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis, Vulnerable), the Endangered Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), and an independently and only recently assessed Indian wolf population (Canis lupus pallipes, Vulnerable) numbering an estimated 10 to 20 individuals within Pakistan. Habitat destruction and fragmentation, poaching and illicit wildlife commerce, human-animal interactions, and the hydrological modification of river systems were the most often recorded dangers. The review further identifies structural gaps in the evidence base, including limited systematic surveys of bats and wetland-associated mammals, an almost complete absence of long-term monitoring, and minimal application of molecular and genetic tools beyond the Punjab urial. Closing these gaps through standardized, collaborative monitoring and translating the province’s growing university-led research base into a coordinated conservation strategy will be essential to safeguarding Punjab’s mammalian biodiversity against continuing agricultural expansion, water-resource development, and climate change.

Key words: mammalian diversity; Punjab; Pakistan; conservation status; anthropogenic threats; Ovis vignei punjabiensis