Changa Manga
Chunian Tehsil, Pakistan
The Changa Manga (Urdu, Punjabi) is a man-made forest which includes a wildlife preserve, in the Kasur and Lahore districts of Punjab, Pakistan. It is located approximately 74 km west of Lahore. It was once the largest man-made forest in the world but has undergone illegal deforestation at a massive scale in recent times. Changa Manga is known more widely as "one of the oldest hand-planted forests in the world", and hosts a wide range of flora and fauna. The forest is home to 14 species of mammals, 50 species of birds, six species of reptiles, two species of amphibians and 27 species of insects. Thus, other than producing timber for the local industry, the forest also serves as an important wildlife reserve. Named after two brother dacoits, the Changa Manga forest was originally planted in 1866 by British foresters. Its trees were harvested to gather fuel and resources for the engines employed in the North-Western railway networks.
Zoo data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).