Understanding the Transboundary Karakoram-Pamir Landscape

The Karakoram-Pamir Landscape lies at the junction between the black Karakoram mountains, which mostly lie within Pakistan, and the grey Pamir mountains, which mostly lie within China. It is known for its glaciated peaks, high-altitude wetlands, green pastures, and globally significant biodiversity. Both sides of the transboundary area are protected to conserve the unique biodiversity with a major focus on endangered species. The Karakoram-Pamir Landscape Initiative is a regional initiative supporting cooperation between China and Pakistan for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in this region. The broad objectives of the initiative are to (1) improve understanding of the region’s biodiversity and science on the impacts of climate and other change; (2) assess and enhance the adaptive capacity of and livelihood options for people living in the landscape; and (3) promote transboundary cooperation for the conservation of vulnerable ecosystems, sustainable use of ecosystem goods and services, and creation of an international conservation area connecting existing national protected areas. In order to achieve these objectives, a baseline study was made of the environmental, biodiversity, socioeconomic, and cultural situation in the landscape based on both primary information (expert consultations, interaction programmes, group discussions) and secondary information (mainly a literature review), and focusing on the two contiguous protected areas on either side of the international border (the KPL pilot site)