The wider Himalayan Arc, consisting of mountain ranges that incorporate major mountain systems such as the Tien Shan, Pamir, Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Himalaya, and Kun Lun Shan Mountains, is ecologically a very diverse mountainous region with peaks and plateaux. Steep mountain slopes and deeply incised valleys, glaciated areas above the snow lines, deserts and steppes, forests, rangelands, and wetlands compose a region that offers limited space for mountain communities to settle in compact oases and vast areas for extensive forms of pastoral practices herding predominantly for 16 million yaks, and much higher numbers of sheep and goats. About 60% of the Hindukush-Himalayan surface is composed of rangelands and pastures.

Trophy hunting, whether undertaken by women or men, is a harmful and unsustainable practice that has no place in modern society. NWF-GB

There is a need to assess these risks and challenges, and their impacts on biodiversity, ecology and human wellbeing of Hindu Kush-Himalaya regions

by Ali Rehmat Shimshali Have you ever imagined progress of a society, or a nation without women? To answer this question, let us confine it to our homes. What troubles do we face in the absence of our moms and sisters? They are nuclous in every family and society. When the nuclous breaks the entire system collapses. So how can …

Considered to be the icons of High Asia, the elusive snow leopards have evolved to live in some of the world’s highest and harshest habitats in 12 countries.

Recent excavations in eastern Kazakhstan have led to important discoveries about the ancient Saka people. The excavations reveal that permafrost has preserved treasures for over 2,700 years. But changing climatic conditions are a risk to further revelations, writes Natalie Taylor in the thirdpole.net by Natalie Taylor A recreation of a horse’s ceremonial burial harness. Horses were central to Saka culture …

The contested fortress and neoliberal models of conservation and development have proven disastrous and failed in the world.

The UNWTO initiative to search for 'Best Tourist Village' aims at making tourism a positive force for transformation, rural development and community well-being, and to maximise the contribution of the sector to reducing regional inequalities and fighting against rural depopulation.

F. Ali Syed Yahya Shah Al-Hussaini, a noted religious scholar, political leader, social reformer, nature conservationist, folklorist and award-winning writer passed away in Gilgit on Sunday, (April 11, 2021) at the age of 85 after a brief illness. He was elected a member of the Gilgit–Baltistan Advisory Council after the abolition of Nagar State in 1975. He was re-elected a …

Calls for a community-driven and managed approach in Gilgit-Baltistan By: Anmol, Shams Uddin & Anayat Baig Karachi: The neoliberal development and conservation have failed to achieve the objectives of protecting endangered species rather than endangering the indigenous communities and nature. The market-driven model of conservation is aimed at colonization and securitization of people living in peripheries through the occupation of …

PEMA GYAMTSHO Mountains are a barometer of the planet’s health – changes in these lofty parts of the world dictate how rivers flow and crops grow and livelihoods endure elsewhere. And yet, global recognition of these vital regions has been rather underwhelming, in contrast, to say the Amazon or the polar regions. International Mountain Day (IMD), celebrated on this very day …

Two persons were sentenced to two years imprisonment and an Rs5 million fine each for poaching the endangered animal. Two other persons were given a one-year jail term and a fine. High Asia Herald Report GILGIT: Five people have been convicted of poaching in Hopar, Nager and sent to jail, said a press statement issued by the Wildlife and Forest …

Agricultural village in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. Photo by Christopher Wilton-Steer/UCA Herald Report In Pamir mountains of High Asia region with limited agricultural lands, rugged topography, and large gradients, the preservation of agrobiodiversity and an appreciation of traditional knowledge about food systems are essential ingredients of a sustainable future. Hence the University of Central Asia’s Mountain Societies Research Institute (MSRI) has begun …

    M Ajmal K Masood   While travelling to the north, most of the youth make their travelling statuses as ‘mountains are calling’. This phrase is not merely a social media buzzword but resonates the social, cultural and spiritual relations between the people and the mountains. In the primitive age, human being living in mountainous regions such as High …

Global leaders call for awareness about the importance of biodiversity, promotion of ecosystem-based solutions to build a future in harmony with nature    Herald Report   Islamabad: As the world is reeling from the devastating impact of coronavirus, world leaders have called on the global community to “re-examine our relationship to the natural world, create knowledge and awareness about the …