Srinagar, July 17 -- By Dr. Mubashir Jeelani

The road to Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary challenged many assumptions I had long held about Kashmir's forests and forced me to confront a difficult question: why do our landscapes seem healthiest only when human pressure eases?

That question accompanied me throughout a recent visit to Hirpora in Shopian with my college students.

I had gone expecting fresh mountain air, healthy streams and forests rich with life. Memory also played its part because I knew the sanctuary through earlier visits and years of studying environmental science.

Comparison came naturally, and the contrast felt impossible to ignore.

Hirpora still possesses immense beauty, although signs of ecological strain have become i...