imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:1981 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir (state) to :Category:1981 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2021 April 26#Establishments in Jammu and Kashmir

2021-05-04T03:23:28Z

Moving Category:1981 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir (state) to Category:1981 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2021 April 26#Establishments in Jammu and Kashmir

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{{short description|National park in Pahalgam.India}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary
| iucn_category = IV
| photo = Aruvillage.jpg
| photo_caption = Aru Valley within the Sanctuary
| map = India Jammu and Kashmir
| map_caption = Location of Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary in Kashmir
| map_width = 280
| label = '''Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary'''
| label_position = right
| location = [[Aru, Jammu and Kashmir|Aru Valley]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India
| nearest_city = [[Pahalgam]]
| relief = 1
| coordinates = {{coord|34|06|36|N|75|14|51|E|display=inline,title}}
| area_km2 = 511
| established = 1981
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| elevation_min = {{Convert|2100|m|ft}}
| elevation_max = {{Convert|5425|m|ft}}
| governing_body = Department of Wildlife Protection
}}

The '''Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary''' is a [[protected area]] in [[Aru, Jammu and Kashmir|Aru Valley]] near [[Pahalgam]] in [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India. It is on the periphery of the two villages of Overa and Aru. The sanctuary spreads over {{Convert|511|km2|mi2}}, lies {{Convert|76|km|mi}} east of [[Srinagar]]. It was declared a [[game reserve]] in 1945 under the [[History of Kashmir#Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu (Dogra Rule, 1846–1947)|Dogra Rule]] and later upgraded to a [[wildlife sanctuary|sanctuary]] in 1981.<ref name=IUCN>{{Cite book|last=Green|first=M. J. B.|url=https://archive.org/details/naturereservesof93gree/page/264|title=Nature Reserves of the Himalaya and the Mountains of Central Asia|date=1993|publisher=IUCN|others=Cambridge UNEP-WCMC|isbn=978-0-19-562922-4|pages=264–7|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name=jkwildlife>{{Cite web|title=Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary-An Overview|url=http://www.jkwildlife.com/pdf/sanc/Overa_Aru_WLS.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=2020-11-10|website=jkwildlife.com}}</ref><ref name=birdlife/>

==Geography==
The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the [[Lidder Valley|Lidder Forest Division]] in [[Anantnag District]] of the [[Kashmir Valley|Kashmir province]]. It is bordered to the north by [[Sind Valley]] and to the west by [[Dachigam National Park]]. The sanctuary constitutes 38 Forest compartments. The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary is a [[catchment area]] of the [[Lidder River]], a tributary of [[Jhelum River|Jhelum]] and forms an important source of irrigation and drinking water. Geographical features of the sanctuary include lakes, glaciers and mountain peaks. The most notable are the [[Tarsar Lake]] and the [[Kolahoi]] with a peak elevation of {{Convert|5425|m|ft}} above sea level. It is also the highest point of the sanctuary. The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary has a [[temperate climate]], it is out of the reach of the [[monsoon]]. The precipitation in the form of snowfall is heavy in winter.<ref name=IUCN/><ref name=jkwildlife/>

==Flora and fauna==
The vegetation of the sanctuary varies according to the altitude. The [[deciduous forest]] occurs below 2600 meters of altitude which grows ''[[Aesculus indica]]'', ''[[Juglans regia]]'', ''[[Fraxinus|Fraxinus spp]]'', ''[[Prunus cornuta|Padus cornuta]]'', ''[[Toxicodendron succedaneum|Rus succedanea]]'', and ''[[Sorbus lanata|Pyrus lanata]]''. The [[coniferous forest]] lies between 2,600 and 3,000 metres. It grows mostly [[blue pine]] on dry soil and [[Abies pindrow|silver fir]] (''Abies pindrow'') on moist soil. Birch forest ranges from 3000 to 3500 meters, the most common species are [[white birch]] (''Betula utilis''). ''[[Junipers|Juniperus spp]]'' grow from 3500 to 3800 meters in the [[alpine tundra|alpine scrub]].<ref name=IUCN/><ref name=jkwildlife/>

The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary has a recorded 117 bird species of which 89 species – including eight species of sympatric warblers – breed within the sanctuary. The globally threatened bird species found in the sanctuary are endangered [[Egyptian vulture]] (''Neophron percnopterus''), vulnerable [[Kashmir flycatcher]] (''Ficedula subrubra''), and near-threatened [[European roller]] (''Coracias garrulus'') and [[Tytler's leaf warbler]] (''Phylloscopus tytleri''). Among the 18 species of butterflies recorded in the sanctuary, four are listed in the [[IUCN Red List]].<ref name=birdlife>{{Cite web|title=BirdLife Data Zone|url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/18193|access-date=2020-11-10|website=datazone.birdlife.org}}</ref><ref name=jkwildlife/>

The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary lies within the distributional range of the critically endangered [[Kashmir stag]] (''Cervus hanglu'').<ref name=birdlife/> There are 18 species of other mammals found in the sanctuary which include [[Kashmir musk deer]] (''Moschus cupreus''), [[Asiatic ibex]] (''Capra sibrica''), [[Himalayan Serow]] (''Capricornis thar''), [[leopard|common leopard]] (''Panthera pardus''), [[Asiatic black bear]] (''Ursus thibetanus''), [[Himalayan brown bear]] (''Ursus arctos''), [[Long-tailed marmot|golden marmot]] (''Marmota sp'') and [[vulpes]] (fox).<ref name=IUCN/><ref name=jkwildlife/>

==See also==
* [[Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary]]
* [[Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Kashmir Valley|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:National parks in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:1981 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Kashmir]]
[[Category:1945 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1945]]

Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary - Revision history

imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:1981 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir (state) to :Category:1981 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2021 April 26#Establishments in Jammu and Kashmir