The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary is a catchment area of the Lidder River, a tributary of Jhelum and forms an important source of irrigation and drinking water.

The deciduous forest occurs below 2600 meters of altitude which grows Aesculus indica, Juglans regia, Fraxinus spp, Padus cornuta, Rus succedanea, and Pyrus lanata.

The globally threatened bird species found in the sanctuary are endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), vulnerable Kashmir flycatcher (Ficedula subrubra), and near-threatened European roller (Coracias garrulus) and Tytler's leaf warbler (Phylloscopus tytleri).

[3][2] The Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary lies within the distributional range of the critically endangered Kashmir stag (Cervus hanglu).

[3] There are 18 species of other mammals found in the sanctuary which include Kashmir musk deer (Moschus cupreus), Asiatic ibex (Capra sibrica), Himalayan Serow (Capricornis thar), common leopard (Panthera pardus), Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos), golden marmot (Marmota sp) and vulpes (fox).