Pakistan and China to collaborate in national parks
By: Zulfiqar Ali Khan
Hunza, June 18: A joint committee has been formed during a meeting held at Kashghar, China to find out ways for possible collaboration between Khunjerab National Park and Taxkorgan Natural Reserve, China. The meeting was participated by high officials from Northern Areas and representatives of Ministry of Environment, WWF, UNDP, AKDN/FOCUS and ICIMOD as well as high official from China. 
The officials have discussed the potential of natural reserves and socio-economic aspects of communities living both sides of the border in order to exploit these specificities for regional development. The participants have also agreed to develop tourism between Kashghar and Gilgit along with collaborating in national parks.
The newly formed committee will be chaired by Aashique Ahmed, Special Advisor WWF and co-chaired by a Chinese official. The committee will held a joint meeting during October this year in Gilgit.
Khunjerab National Park is the third largest national Park of Pakistan, covers around 2,270 sq km which is adjacent to Taxkorgan Natural Reserve (1,400,000 hectares) in China. Both parks provides habitat for a number of endangered and threatened species like the snow leopard, Marco Polo sheep, and Himalayan ibex.
The two countries have already evolved an exemplary cooperative relationship in political, defence and diplomatic arena. The communities living both sides of the border are thus hoping that this initiative will help to restore the historical ties among the communities living both sides of the border. It is also hoped that not only Pakistan and China but also Afghanistan and Tajikistan will join this initiative in order to establish an international trans-frontier Peace Park for the benefit of wildlife, the habitat, and local people.
THANKX FOR THE IDEA OF MR. AMIN BAIG, AS FIRST TIME SHARED IN A PRESENTATION IN KIU. THE EXACT WORD SHARED WAS “TRANS- BOARDE INITIATIVES FOR ENVIRONMENT”
WE AS TEAM ALSO WORKED WITH MR. ASHIQUE AHMAD ON THE KHUNJARAV NATIONAL PARK, BEING A NATIVE FROM THE AREA. I ALSO RECALL THE UNSUCCESSFUL STRUGGLE OF THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES IN PRESERVING THE KHUNJARAV NATIONL PARK AS A NATIONAL PARK FOR A PERIOD OF 12 YEARS. BUT, ONE THING WHIC H REALLY ASTONISHING ME IS FORGETTING THE PAST EXPERIENCES. NO DOUBT IN MANAGEMENT TERMINOLOGY WE R SAYING ” LEARNING BY DOING’ BUT WE AS MANAGEMENT GURU ARE TRYING SOME TIME INTENTIALLY TO IGNORE THOSE EXPERIENCES ONE OR THE OTHER REASONS.
THESE ALL POIINTS HIGHLIGHTED ARE ONLY FOR ONE REASON, DO THE PROJECT BE SUCCESSFUL WITH OUT INVOLVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES LIVING ON THESE MOUNTANIOUS AREAS? AS THE PAST EXPERIENCES CLEARLY REFLECTS, NOT POSSIBLE. WE R MISSED HERE THE SECOND MANAGEMENT TERMINOLOGY “COMMUNITY PARTICEPATERY APPROCHES”
HERE, I WANT TO MENTION KHUNJARAV NATIONAL PARK IS DUE TO KVO (KHUNJARAV VILLAGES ORGANIZATION a body of seven villages) AND ONE CAN TAKE THE HISTORY AS CLEARLY WRITTEN IN UNDP RECORDS, BUT VERY SORRY TO SAY THAT REP. OF KAVO AND ITS MERTORIOUS WORK WAS ALWAYS IGNORED BY THE RELATED AGENCIES SPECIALLY AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL.
KVO IS ACTUAL OWNER OF THE KHUNJARV VALLY AND AT LAST MY SPECIAL REQUEST IS TO THE NEWLY FORMED COMMITTEE TO NOT MESS- UP THE THINGS AS THAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE UNDP PRINTED BOOK “GREEN PIONEERS” Stories from the Grass Root.
IN CONCLUSION, I CAN ONLY PRAY FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE NEWLY FORMED COMMITTEE, BEING A REFORMER WITH A PLURALIST THINKING. WITH A REQUEST TO REVIEW THE ABOVE MENTION BOOK “GREEN PIONEERS” AND ITS LOCAL TERMINOLOGY AS EXPLAINED IN IT ARE VERY FAR FROM FACT.
I ALSO WISH THAT THE COMMITTEE SHOULD WORK WITHOUT IGNORING/INTERMINGLING THE FACTS, FACTS SHULD BE ALSO CONSERVE AS THE ENVIRONMENT.
AT LAST IF ANY FACT HIRT ANY INDIVIDUAL SORRY FOR THAT BUT THAT WILL BE A SOURCE OF REFORM TOOLS, I DO HOPE————
Thanks PT for the important News,
I do fully agree with engineer Baig Ali suggestions of reminding the most important part on the topic Pakistan and China to collaborate in national parks is missing of stakeholders stake in the said news. It is very famous and repeated in the modern literature called Community Involvement.
I would also like to add that Ghulkin village is one of the important stakeholders by sharing Chapp and Rosth Qarchinay (left and right valleys) in the vicinity of Dhee areas in Khunjarav national park. According to the yearly census by the Forest department local game watchers and WWF reports the left Qarchinay is the real home of famous Marco polo sheep and brown Bear including unique wild animals and species (flora and fauna.).
As the local community depends on the both sides by using it as pasture from the very early tough time and made trails on their own cost before the construction of KKH and still depends on the area by depending on livestock. KNP and the Northern Areas Administration and the NGOs working on nature conservation have clear agreements to prefer the stakeholders consent and to take decisions through the consensus of the local community.
I really appreciate the administration of northern Areas and the management of directorate of Khunjrab National Park (KNP) to not forget the stakeholders and open the green book as suggested by Baig Ali Sahib to know the real stories.
I also appreciate the services of Ashiq Ahmed for the conservation of the said park and request to use his wisdom and include the stakeholders before taking any decisions or making any agreement at local, national and international level.
Although the WWF is one of the Partner NGOs of Ghulkin Educational Social Welfare and Nature Conservation Association but it is amazing to ignoring them in such an important issue. The same attitude (ignoring) of KNP looks like at every stages, such as ignored other stakeholders of the areas (KVO, Shimshal and Msgar) on the above topic mentioned.
We do hope that they should take the stakeholders in confidence by justifying their motives.
Sharif Khan
Thamks Zulfiqar for nicely briefing about the important Kashgar meeting.Things going very well about Sino Pak Conservation and we must pay our graditudes to Hounerable Sir Ashiq Ahmad Khan, Special Advisor,WWF-Pakistan for showing his keen intrest for the development of people in the Northern Areas.
Hope to undate you on the progress time to time