Let's not pollute Gilgit-Baltistan

Pakistan is considered among the lucky countries with a dynamic landscape; mountains, rivers, deserts, lakes, waterfalls, springs, glaciers and experience four seasons through the year.

Gilgit-Baltistan much renowned of its beauty is often referred to as heaven on earth, the grand Himalayas and the Karakoram mountain ranges, the lush green valleys, the snowcapped peaks and the crystal clear blue sky is the reason for a great tourist attraction in the region.

Nowadays the flow of domestic tourists towards GB is at its peak, people from the down country are making their way to visit Gilgit Baltistan due to the high temperature in the cities, to spend their summer vacations visiting GB and Hunza.

According to the Tourism Department of GB about 10 million tourists are expected to visit GB this year including both domestic and international. I would say it will be a big challenge for the tourism department to manage this all. The visiting of tourists will definitely add to the economy of the local community, it will create jobs for the local people, the income from tourism can be reinvested in protecting the environment, they will get a lot of other benefits from the tourism industry but on the other side it will affect the surrounding environment of the tourist spots if the tours will be not eco-friendly. Tourism can increase litter and pollution and can lead to the destruction of natural habitats. Transporting a lot of people long distances using vehicles release greenhouse gases which leads to global warming. Trekking many times on the same route is the base for soil erosion and barren land and visiting the conserved areas can disturb the wildlife. To reduce all these impacts mentioned above it is very important to make our tours eco-friendly.

“Ecotourism is responsible travel to nature areas which conserve the environment and improves the welfare of local people”.

I would suggest the Tourism Department GB to promote Ecotourism in the region which will benefit the environment, economy and the local community. The local people should be encouraged to conserve the environment rather than use it for damaging activities; it reduces poaching and hunting of endangered species. Waste that the tourists create should be disposed of carefully.

At GB level, there is a need for greater corporation to protect the environment and promote Ecotourism.

Of the caged Snow leopard

A snow leopard, also called the King of Mountains, is a large cat found in the mountains of Central and South Asia. It is one of the endangered species listed in the IUCN Red List of ‘Threatened Species’. Snow leopard usually lives at an altitude of 12,000 to 18,000 feet and walks around an area of 250 kilometers. This big cat called Lolly was caught in December 2012, when she was hardly six months old.

The mother lost the injured cub after it failed to cross a river in the Khunjerab National Park, one of the world’s highest parks in Upper Hunza Gojal Gilgit-Baltistan situated between Pakistan and China near the Khunjerab Pass. A team of the wildlife department Gilgit Baltistan spotted the cub and shifted it to a rehabilitation center for treatment. The snow leopard was christened “Lolly”, which in the local Wakhi language means “Younger Brother”.

Lolly is not the King of mountains any more. The big cat has been deprived of the freedom it could have; it has been domesticated, eats dead chicken, lamb and mutton and beef supplied by the wildlife department and given to her by the caretaker rather than preying on ibexes and other wild animals.

There are many unanswered questions: Why Lolly was not released into the wild immediately after its treatment? Why it has been kept in the cage till now? Who is behind this entire story? Who is gonna compensate the four years Lovely has spent in the cage?

No wildlife organization, including WWF, has taken any action against the unexplained detention of the snow leopard. Not many animal rights activists are aware of its situation, otherwise they could start a global campaign to send Lolly back home.

Snow leopards are among the endangered species in Pakistan. Only 200 snow leopards are reportedly left in the country. These animals need to be conserved. Their presence in the ecosystem of an area is a must for a sustainable environment.

In July 2014 I visited the Khunjerab National Park and I saw this snow leopard in the cage near the check post of Khunjerab Security Force on the Karakoram Highway on the way to Khunjerav top. It seemed to be uncomfortable in the cage. In October 2015, I was on a tour to Khunjerab again and saw the leopard again.

Being a student of conservation I condemn the captivity of this snow leopard and I request the wildlife department and other wildlife organizations working in Gilgit-Baltistan to take serious action against this. I would suggest that the wildlife department rather than keeping the snow leopard in the cage release it immediately in to the wild. It’s release will help increase the number of snow leopards, because Lolly is female and capable of reproduction.