Makhi Forest
Sights/Forest/Wildlife/Sanctuary
Makhi Forest is named after the small bees which make their honeycombs in the trees inside the forest. Makhi Forest was once famous for its rich reserves of quality honey, commercially valued wood and plants with medicinal values. The forest had dried up due to acute water shortage but it has now been recovered by 50% due to recent water flows through Nara Canal. Release of fresh water into Chotiari Dam in Sanghar district boosted up natural flora and fauna in Makhi Forest besides enhancing sources of livelihood of local community whose major economy depend on livestock.
Makhi Forest is in a very remote area, with no hospitals or schools nearby. However, the area is rich in resources — the honey from the forest is highly valued and priced with demand from all over the country. The forest is also used for grazing by the villager's livestock — goat droppings actually help regenerate the forest by spreading seeds. The local people living in and around Makhi Forest are completely dependent on the forest for their livelihoods, and moved here in the 1970s.
The area has a series of open freshwater and salty water bodies fringed with diverse vegetation. It was considered rich in biodiversity, especially due to the gavial, water otter, crocodile, fresh water turtles and huge varieties of fish found in the wetland ecosystem. Hog deer, desert hares, jackals, otters, wild boars and crocodiles were once found here in abundance.
The Marsh Crocodile inhabits a huge portion of the Nara Canal and Nara desert. The Marsh Crocodile, locally known as ‘wagu’ or Mugger, is found in Iran, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. The species has become extinct in some countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The have a life span of about more than 40 years, live in groups and communicate with each other through special sounds. They can survive in a variety of habitats, e.g. fresh and brackish lakes, rivers, marshes, reservoirs, irrigation canals and also adopts itself in captivity to man-made ponds. It can also survive in coastal lagoons and estuaries.
The forest was also the stronghold of the freedom movement launched by the Hurs (followers of Pir Pagaro) against the colonial British power during the 1930s. During the uprising, the Hurs would hide in the forest. To suppress the “Hur Revolt”, the British rulers converted a large part of these woodlands into agricultural areas.
Makhi Forest is in a very remote area, with no hospitals or schools nearby. However, the area is rich in resources — the honey from the forest is highly valued and priced with demand from all over the country. The forest is also used for grazing by the villager's livestock — goat droppings actually help regenerate the forest by spreading seeds. The local people living in and around Makhi Forest are completely dependent on the forest for their livelihoods, and moved here in the 1970s.
The area has a series of open freshwater and salty water bodies fringed with diverse vegetation. It was considered rich in biodiversity, especially due to the gavial, water otter, crocodile, fresh water turtles and huge varieties of fish found in the wetland ecosystem. Hog deer, desert hares, jackals, otters, wild boars and crocodiles were once found here in abundance.
The Marsh Crocodile inhabits a huge portion of the Nara Canal and Nara desert. The Marsh Crocodile, locally known as ‘wagu’ or Mugger, is found in Iran, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. The species has become extinct in some countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The have a life span of about more than 40 years, live in groups and communicate with each other through special sounds. They can survive in a variety of habitats, e.g. fresh and brackish lakes, rivers, marshes, reservoirs, irrigation canals and also adopts itself in captivity to man-made ponds. It can also survive in coastal lagoons and estuaries.
The forest was also the stronghold of the freedom movement launched by the Hurs (followers of Pir Pagaro) against the colonial British power during the 1930s. During the uprising, the Hurs would hide in the forest. To suppress the “Hur Revolt”, the British rulers converted a large part of these woodlands into agricultural areas.
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