Community Based Biodiversity Conservation In Kashmir

The project aims to set the frameworks, institutions and systems in place for protection and management of key species of wildlife in an extended corridor, starting from Gumot National Park and the adjacent Surgun Valley in the Muzaffarbad District and ending at the Deosai National Park and the Nanga Parbat Conservancy in the Northern Areas. The corridor will span over Neelam valley past Sharda town, extend westwards to Shontar valley, Gurez area, Dudgai valley, passing over the Kamri top to the Minimarg valley, and then northwards to Chilam village. The project area is bound on the north by Dudupat National Park in the NWFP, and towards south by the Line of Control (LoC). The project will be implemented by the local community organizations with support from the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF). The geographical coverage of the project will be phased over a three to four year period, with each phase extending over a period of approximately a year:

Phase I: Gumot National Park and Surgun Valley
Phase II: Shontar Valley and Gurez area
Phase III: Dudgai Valley and Minimarg Valley

This proposal covers Phase I of the project. The phasing plan is based on the strategy that the project activities are best initiated from the area where success probability is high, geographical focus is maintained to make effective use of the limited management resources, and activities are gradually extended to adjacent areas until link corridor to Deosai National Park and Nanga Parbat Conservancy is established.

The Government of AKJ acting on a proposal put forward by the community representatives in the Gumot valley have recently declared the Gumot National Park (GNP) through a notification issued under the relevant wildlife legislation. This declaration is of historical significance in AJK and Pakistan as it is for the first time that the community itself has taken the initiative to bring an area under the national park system. Supporting the local communities and the AJK government in the development and management of this national park and extending this initiative to the adjacent forests and rangelands is therefore of utmost importance as the foundation of partnership between the community and the government has already been laid, and demonstration of a success of this partnership can provide an example for conservation initiatives in the region.

The key species of concern are the musk dear, black bear, brown bear, common and snow leopards which are on the IUCN Red List. In addition, species that will benefit from the project include the Tibetan wolf, Indian and snow leopards, ibex, and birds like Monal and Kaleej Pheasants and other mammals. The proposed project area is not covered by any other project activity at present. The project will connect to a system of protected areas in the NAs, AJK, and the NWFP through community managed conservation areas to provide migration corridors and habitat extensions that are critical in genetic survival of the species of concern.

Notable Community Participation
CBOs will be formed in villages and communities of stategic importance in widlife and forest management, identified during the baseline surveys. The CBOs will be responsibile for wildlife and habitat management at community level.

Capacity - Building Component
Assistance to AJK Wildlife Department and the communities in establishment and mangement of a system of protected areas and community reserves.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
Increasing awareness at local and national level on value of the project area and significance of the project.