Community-Led Conservation in Northern Pakistan
Beginning in 2026, Zoo New England is embarking on a community-led conservation program aimed at conserving over 10,000 km2 of fragile, high-elevation habitat in northern Pakistan. This program is supported with funding from the UK government through the Darwin Initiative.
Northern Pakistan is the confluence of some of the greatest mountain ranges in the world – the Himalayas, Karakorams, Hindu Kush, and Pamir mountains – with over 100 peaks soaring over 20,000 feet in elevation. This region also has some of the poorest and most isolated communities in the world, living alongside two of Asia’s most iconic animals – the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the markhor (Capra falconeri) – both of which can be seen at ZNE’s Stone Zoo! These two species were under significant threat of extinction and were rapidly disappearing from the region until a program that was previously supported by Zoo New England helped establish a community led conservation initiative in the region.
This new program is aimed at ensuring that this mountain refuge is protected and conserved in perpetuity. This includes the revitalization and support of at least 50 local community natural resource organizations, 20+ multi-community wildlife conservancies, the training and deployment of over 100 community rangers to monitor and protect forests and wildlife, and co-management initiatives between communities and local government agencies. Our in-country partners include two local NGOs, Pakistan Environment Trust (PET) and the Wildlife Conservation and Development Society (WCDS).
Besides the markhor and snow leopard, other key wildlife species that the project will focus on protecting and recovering include the urial (Ovis vignei), a species of wild mountain sheep, and the endangered, cliff-cave dwelling woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus), the largest squirrel in the world at four feet in length from nose to tail. The project will also focus on protecting the last great conifer forests in the region, which many other wildlife species, important understory plants, and local communities depend upon. We also expect that by the end of this four-year initiative, each of the conservancies will be awarded formal IUCN OECM (community managed protected area) status, thus adding roughly 10,000 km2 to the country’s protected area network.
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