Taunsa Barrage Wildlife Sanctuary in Muzaffargarh, Punjab, Pakistan

The Chashma and Taunsa Barrage are declared Wildlife Sanctuaries by the Punjab government. A very important breeding, staging and wintering area for a wide variety of waterfowl, including at least one threatened species (Marmaronetta angustirostris). Mid-winter waterfowl counts in recent years have regularly exceeded 20,000 birds. The endangered Indus Dolphin (Platanista indi) occurs in the river both upstream and downstream of the barrage. Since the 1970s, the population of the Indus Dolphin has significantly increased here.