Conservation challenges and hope: A study on herpeto-fauna in the Totalai Game Reserve (District Buner) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

About one-third of amphibians (40.7%) and one in five reptile species (21%) are threatened with extinction. We conducted the t present study to examine the diversity, richness, and abundance of herpetofauna in the Totalai game reserve (District Buner) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Pakistan. We gathered data from June 2021 to July 2023 in selected sampling sites of the study area using standard methods. We detected only 19 herpetofauna species with six amphibians, seven lizards, and six snake species belonging to 11 different families. Our results indicated that the Rocky and Human settlement areas exhibited higher diversity (Shannon H = 2.298) and more even distribution (e^H/S = 0.5241) of species compared to the Agricultural area (e^H/S = 1.835) and Water bodies (e^H/S = 2.286). Additionally, the Rocky area and Human settlement showed a greater abundance (D = 0.1374) of species, indicating a more diverse array of species in these habitats (Table II). Examination of individual species’ distribution revealed all four habitats displayed a relatively even spread. The entire study region had a moderate level of species diversity Index (H') =1.095. The major threats are believed to be water pollution due to inadequate sewage systems and the scarcity of water bodies. Additionally, the lack of awareness among the local communities and the officials of the Wildlife Department of KPK, lead to the neglect of amphibian and reptile conservation efforts.