Current Context: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change officially notified an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Tral Wildlife Sanctuary in Pulwama District, Jammu & Kashmir, covering 0 to 3.26 km from its boundary (approximately 127.10 sq. km, including 26 villages).

ABOUT Tral Wildlife Sanctuary

Location : Situated in Pulwama District, Jammu & Kashmir, about 26 km from Pulwama town and 44 km from Srinagar.

• Terrain: Himalayan foothills; altitudinal range ~1,600–3,500 m.
• Vegetation Types:
  • Himalayan Moist Temperate Forest (oak, conifers).
  • Sub-Alpine Forest (fir, birch).
  • Alpine Forest/Meadows (rhododendron, juniper).

Flora

• Trees: Aesculus indica (Indian horse chestnut), Fraxinus hookeri (Himalayan ash), Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana, Juglans regia (walnut).
• Shrubs & Understory: Indigofera heterantha, Lonicera spp., Viburnum spp., Skimmia laureola, Jasminum spp.