Flanked by the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Kunlun mountain ranges in Central Asia, the Pamirs are the area where the borders of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and China meet. This remote mountainous region faces border disputes, rampant opium poppy cultivation, poaching and poverty.

 

However, an American zoologist and conservationist has put forward a bold plan to create a four-country, trans-boundary conservation area, or "peace park," in the region.

 

Known as one of the greatest naturalists of the 20th century, Dr George B Schaller has traveled the world studying endangered animals from lions and mountain gorillas in Africa to giant pandas and Tibetan antelopes in China.

 

Since the mid-1970s, he has surveyed Marco Polo sheep a key species for conservation in the Pamirs. Known for their exceptionally large horns, these sheep are seen as an icon and symbol of the region.

 

Dr George B Schaller speaks at the 2006 International Workshop on Wildlife and Habitat Conservation of the Pamirs.

 

Schaller initiated a new series of surveys of the Asiatic wild sheep in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and China over the past several years.

 

His work has shown that the animals, considered a subspecies of the argali sheep (Ovis ammon) and the grandest of all argalis, regularly migrate across the borders of all four countries.

 

"It can therefore be protected and managed only through international cooperation between the four countries," Schaller told China Daily.

 

The Pamirs is also home to other endangered species, such as the snow leopard, ibex, wolf and brown bear, he said. The Pamirs are one of the most spectacular mountain regions on earth.

 

"By focusing on conservation of the Marco Polo sheep, we have a real chance to preserve the unique ecosystem and cultures of the Pamirs through collaborative initiatives," he said.

 

To promote the trans-boundary conservation initiative and protect wildlife and their fragile habitats in the Pamirs, the State Forestry Administration of China and the World Conservation Society (WCS), an international conservation organization based in the United States, co-organized the 2006 International Workshop on Wildlife and Habitat Conservation in the Pamirs.

 

The workshop, held on September 28 and 29 in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, attracted dozens of officials, scientists and conservationists from the four countries and several non-governmental international organizations.

 

Participants visit Xinjiang Wild Horse Centre after the two-day workshop.

 

"The workshop will focus on trans-boundary conservation in the Pamirs, which has unique fauna, flora and cultures," said Schaller, also vice-president of science and exploration of WCS, at the opening ceremony of the workshop. "It will be a dialogue a first step for our work. The main goal of WCS in this workshop and other efforts is to help facilitate co-operation within the countries and between countries."

 

Trans-boundary cooperation

 

As the first goal of the workshop, Schaller hoped that the representatives from the four countries would agree with the concept of the Pamir conservation area after the workshop. The goal was actually realized.

 

The Chinese government has signed conservation cooperation agreements with countries such as the United States, Russia and Australia, said Yan Xun, director of wildlife protection department of the State Forestry Administration. In the Pamirs, the four countries share the same borders and the same environmental problems.

 

"By holding the workshop, we hope to find the ways to protect wildlife effectively in the Pamirs while at the same time giving consideration to the needs of development," he said. "Trans-boundary co-operation will certainly improve the effectiveness of conservation in this region."

 

Natural resource conservation is a critical component of reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, said Mostapha Zaher, an official and conservation expert with the National Environmental Protection Agency of Afghanistan.

 

Since more than 85 percent of Afghans are dependent on the country's natural resource base, long-term stability will be directly dependant on the sustainable management of natural resources.

 

"Unfortunately, Afghanistan's resource base has been dramatically destroyed over the past quarter of century," Zaher said. "Rangelands have been deteriorating, forests were fallen and wildlife has almost been shot out."

 

If environmental conditions continue to degrade, people will no longer be able to carve a living out of the fragile steppe, desert and mountains as they have for centuries. Poverty will spread, communities and cultural practices will dissolve and rural migration will further dissolve cultural connections and negatively affect neighboring communities and regions.

 

"Environment knows no border," Zaher said. "The environmental degradation of Afghanistan will threaten the security of its neighbors. The only solution is to consider and co-ordinate the regional approach.

 

"This project presents more than just a peace park for the protection of animals, but a great chance, as scientific and environmental protection can pave the way for other forms of cooperation in the future."

 

For Pakistani participants, trans-boundary cooperation isn't a new concept. In 1995 and 1999, rangers from the Taxkorgan Nature Reserve in Taxkorgan Prefecture of Xinjiang visited the Khunjerab National Park in the Pamirs of northern Pakistan. Both sides already had successful dialogues on conservation.

 

"Wildlife doesn't recognize political boundaries," said Dr Bashir Ahmed Wani, inspector-general of the Ministry of Environment of Pakistan in his speech. "So to protect wildlife in the Pamirs, we need trans-boundary collaboration."

 

According to the official, Pakistan and China have been successful in cooperating on energy, communication, agriculture and science.

 

"Indeed, we just need to extend more of our cooperation to conservation and extend the idea of trans-boundary cooperation to the other two countries," he said.

 

Only a small step

 

At the workshop, international conservationists and experts from the four countries gave an overview of the current conservation and management status of the Pamirs.

 

Charles Besancon, head of the Protected Area Program of the United Nations Environment Program, introduced the concept and benefits of trans-boundary cooperation and showed successful cases of trans-boundary cooperation to the participants.

 

Then, working groups of the four countries were created. In these groups, the participants discussed issues each country faces in managing the Pamirs, especially threats and problems for wildlife living in the region.

 

Possible solutions to the threats and problems roused heated debate among the participants. However, the two-day workshop proved to be too short to produce a detailed action plan for the proposed trans-boundary conservation area.

 

Attendees of the workshop unanimously agreed that the workshop should be held again next year and probably another time in 2008.

 

"This needs to be a long-term effort," Schaller said in his summary of the workshop. "We're talking about the workshop next year and the year after that. Those are small steps. You need to be dedicated to the vision you brought here for the next 10, 50 and hundred years. In this un-restful world, it is wonderful to think ahead to build something for the future."

 

"There are many issues discussed here," he added. "Some are very complex; some are simple; some will be time-consuming to achieve; some will be too difficult to achieve. You must go ahead. You can't wait for legislation before doing something. You can start from very small issues within the country and between countries."

 

(China Daily October 16, 2006)