Ecology

F. Ali
thehighasia

Resource capture in Gilgit-Baltistan

Resource capture in Gilgit-Baltistan is a stark reminder of the region’s continued exploitation and marginalisation. The control of the Sost Dry Port, the leasing of mineral resources to non-local investors, and the disregard for environmental and indigenous laws all point to a systemic pattern of exclusion and exploitation. If this trend continues, Gilgit-Baltistan risks becoming a textbook example of how powerful actors can hijack development initiatives to serve their interests at the expense of local communities and the environment.

Read More
Record heat
thehighasia

Last year broke heat records – will 2025 be more similar?

Roughly a quarter of the global population grappled with at least 30 days of dangerous heat this year, while the planet hit its hottest day on record in July. In 2024, there were 24 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters from January to November 2024 – a total second only to the 28 annual disasters experienced in 2023. Among them, the US logged one of its deadliest hurricanes as the furious storm Helene roared across the south-east and swept through Appalachian mountain towns.

Read More
Power crisis in hunza
thehighasia

AWPGB opposes power plants’ privatisation in Hunza

The leadership of the Awami Workers Party Gilgit-Baltistan Hunza expresses serious concern over the decision to hand over four power plants and future electricity projects and all water resources to a private company. We believe this move poses a risk of depriving the people of Hunza of their natural water resources, employment, and lands, which could enslave them to profit-driven corporate capitalism.

Read More
Ecological challenges
thehighasia

Hyper-tourism: Skardu residents’ predicament

The recent surge in tourism — often referred to as “hyper-tourism” — has cast a shadow over Skardu once-idyllic haven. The influx of vehicles has overwhelmed the city’s already fragile ecology and poor infrastructure, creating significant challenges for the local population.To ensure that tourism remains a blessing rather than a problem in the region, a multi-layered approach is needed to ameliorate the situation.

Read More
Green tourism
thehighasia

Putting people and ecology at the core: fostering ecotourism in G-B

Gilgit-Baltistan government’s recent decision to lease out 37 properties, including motels, guesthouses, and nurseries, along with lands owned collectively by local communities, to a newly established ‘green tourism company,’ has sparked significant controversy and debate both in the public sphere and on social media platforms. By prioritising community involvement in decision-making processes and honouring their rights, the GB government can pave the way for responsible tourism

Read More
Contested Commons under Threat
thehighasia

Contested Commons under Threat

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.

Read More