24 October 2018: Partners from protected areas in Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and Tajikistan have created the “Bam-e-Dunya” (Persian phrase for “roof of the world”) network to promote long-term conservation and sustainable mountain development in the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape (HKPL).

The partnership aims to enhance knowledge exchange, technology transfer and capacity building, while also identifying joint opportunities and challenges related to conservation and development in the interconnected protected areas. These include: Wakhan National Park in Afghanistan; Taxkorgan Nature Reserve in China; Broghil, Khunjerab and Qurumbar national parks in Pakistan; and the Zorkul Nature Reserve in Tajikistan.

The new network falls under the framework of the HKPL Conservation and Development Initiative, supported by the Government of Sweden. It was launched at a workshop co-organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Lanzhou University titled, ‘Harmonizing Conservation and Development along the Silk Road,’ held in Lanzhou, China, from 14-17 September 2018.

Innovative research and sustainable development partnerships focusing on the Hindu Kush Himalaya were highlighted during the recently concluded World Mountain Forum 2018, which took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from 23-26 October 2018. [ICIMOD Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on World Mountain Forum 2018]