Khunjerab National Park
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Khunjerab National Park
The Most Spectacular Park On Earth
By Rina Saeed Khan
I thought my trip to the top of the pass in the Khunjerab National Park was spectacular (which at 15,500 feet is also the highest border crossing in the world into China) –– but then, I haven’t trekked to the base camp of K2 as yet, which boasts the Baltoro Glacier which is so large that it can be seen from space! I keep postponing this trek every year, for obvious reasons –– you have to be prepared to spend at least one week trekking non-stop and spending your nights in a tent, carrying your own supplies (or hire lots of porters to do it for you). I love the outdoors but I want a warm, cosy bed at night, not a sleeping bag! My visit to the Khunjerab National Park (KNP) was rather easy because, well, we drove all the way up in a jeep. The KNP was established in 1975 on the recommendation of an American biologist, Dr George B. Schaller, with the main purpose of conserving endangered wild animals like the Marco Polo sheep, blue sheep and snow leopard. Since the whole of this area had been continuously and traditionally used by local communities for grazing domestic livestock, Dr Schaller recommended a portion of the park to be closed for grazing in order to provide protection to the wildlife. Imposing this ban without buying the rights created serious conflicts between the park management and the local people and it took many years before an agreement could be hammered out between the Northern Areas government and the local people.
There is not a soul to be seen for miles on the winding metal road up to the Khunjerab Pass. We spotted dozens of golden-orange marmots and some ibex grazing on a distant ridge. Around us, several snow covered peaks rose up majestically while the grassland of the pass itself was a verdant green. In July, the pass is completely covered with flowers.
We arrived at the last Pakistani check-post before the Chinese border and stopped the car; it was freezing cold, with strong gusts of wind. Khunjerab Pass is not exactly hospitable. We decided to head back, sorry to leave such a wild and glorious place – but glad that the high altitude and freezing temperature ensure that man can never settle in this area. Some places deserve to be left to the wild.
Like the KNP, the Central Karakoram National Park (CKNP) is also an awe-inspiring part of Pakistan’s Northern Areas. Covering 10,000 sq. kms, it is Pakistan’s largest national park, home to the most extensive glacial systems outside the Polar regions. Within its boundaries is located the country’s highest peak – K2. The CKNP lies mostly in the Skardu District, adjoining the KNP.
Although the park was established in 1993, it remained largely on paper with the military controlling the management until the recent 50th celebration of the first ascent of K2. That is when the Italians came in and offered funding to implement the management plan of the CKNP.
Today, the Forest Department of the Northern Areas Administration is implementing a project titled “Participatory Management and Development of Central Karakoram National Park”. Other than the government of Pakistan, this project includes the participation of WWF-Pakistan, IUCN-Pakistan, Ev-K2-CNR (a non-profit Italian scientific research association) and other Italian research agencies. In spite of the impressive size and grandeur of this park, the ecosystem is fragile and threatened by environmental changes.
Last week I came across Youshey Zakiuddin, a research student from Oxford University who was in Pakistan recently to study the project. Every summer, two students from Oxford come to Pakistan to conduct their research, facilitated by WWF-Pakistan. According to Youshey, “With past experiences in the KNP, it has been learnt that denying usage of natural resources to local communities can be a major source of conflict and can ultimately cause the failure of any conservation scheme. The creation of parks and the consequent loss of access to resources often means that these same communities bear substantial costs while receiving few benefits in return. Not surprisingly, local people often view parks as restricting their income and access to needed resources.”
Youshey has spent this summer studying the planning process of the CKNP and meeting with park planners and policy makers. He is now heading back to England to complete his thesis. He says it is “imperative to think beyond the conventional top-down national park approach and adopt –– in a participatory manner –– locally feasible strategies for conservation and natural resource management”.
He looked at the steps taken by park-planners to avoid conflicts with the local communities and examined issues such as the potential for the long-term sustainability of the CKNP. Let’s hope his research can be used to come up with some effective co-management policies!
