Wild Icon of the Pamirs

Abstract

Over forty persons gather for a workshop in Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang province, on September 28, 2006, to discuss the future of wildlife and local cultures in the Pamir Mountains, the so-called Bam-i-Duniuh—“the Roof of the World.” Four countries—Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and China—share these uplands from which some of the world’s highest ranges radiate: the Himalaya, Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Kunlun. The icon of the Pamirs is the Marco Polo sheep, the “wild sheep of great size” that Marco Polo noted in 1273, and one still found today in these four countries. Marco Polo sheep, snow leopard, and other species such as wolf and ibex routinely cross political borders from one country to another. If this mountain landscape with its wild animals, rangelands, and local cultures is to be preserved, cooperation among these countries is critical. We are in Urumqi to discuss the establishment of a four-country Pamir International Peace Park, or Pamir Trans-Frontier Protected Area. Around the world, over a hundred such peace parks involving many countries have proven the value of managing joint resources for mutual benefit, but with each country determining its own program. One example is the Glacier National Park in the United States and Banff National Park across the border in Canada; another example is China’s Qomolangma Nature Reserve on the north side of Mount Everest and Nepal’s Sagarmatha National Park on the south side. These parks promote friendly relations among neighbors through sharing information, collaborating on research, and discussing joint problems.