Central Karakoram National Park (Urdu: میانی قراقرم ملی باغ) is a national park in the Skardu district of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It includes some of the world’s highest mountains and largest glaciers. The park is well-known around the world for activities like mountain climbing, rock climbing, and hiking. It covers an area of about 10,000 square kilometers and has many of the tallest mountains on Earth. Four peaks in the park are over 8,000 meters tall, including K2 (8,611 meters), Gasherbrum-I (8,068 meters), Gasherbrum-II (8,035 meters), and Broad Peak (8,051 meters). The park also has sixty peaks higher than 7,000 meters. In 2016, the park was added to the World Heritage Site Tentative List.
Features
The Central Karakoram National Park is the highest national park in the world and the largest protected area in Pakistan. It covers about 10,557 square kilometers (4,100 square miles) in the Central Karakoram mountain range. The park’s elevation ranges from 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) above sea level to the top of Chogori K2, the world’s second-highest mountain at 8,611 meters (28,251 feet). Four other mountains in the park are over 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) tall: Gasherbrum I (8,068 meters), Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters), and Broad Peak (8,051 meters). There are also sixty mountains over 7,000 meters (23,000 feet). The park includes several glaciers, such as Baltoro, Panmah, Biafo, and Hispar, and their smaller tributary glaciers. It is considered one of the most beautiful national parks in Pakistan.
In 2013, it was reported that the park’s exact boundaries were unclear. This was because, twenty years after its creation in 1993, the park still did not have a management plan. At the time of its creation, only four coordinates were given to define its boundaries. In 1994, the International Union for Conservation of Nature proposed a management plan, but it was not approved. A management plan is needed to guide how the park is managed, including rules for forestry, mining, natural resources, tourism, grazing land, and waste. Without such a plan, the park could not be properly managed.
In February 2015, a management plan was finally created after a year of discussions with local communities and other groups involved. The plan covers ten areas: wildlife, plants, non-wood forest products, pastures and livestock, agriculture, mining, water, tourism, local community involvement, and research. The park is divided into two zones. The core zone, which covers about 7,600 square kilometers (2,900 square miles), includes mountain peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude areas with fragile ecosystems. The buffer zone, covering about 3,000 square kilometers (1,200 square miles), includes lower areas near human settlements and corridors that connect different parts of the core zone.
A study of the park’s glaciers, using satellite images from 2001 to 2010, found that the ice cover remained largely unchanged. This shows that glaciers in the Karakoram region are not shrinking as they are in other places. This unusual situation is called the “Karakoram anomaly.”
Ecological zones
The park has several different areas with unique plants and animals. Each area's plants depend on the climate and the shape of the land. In general, the area receives little rain and has winds that come from the west and bring some moisture. Villages are located in the valley bottoms where people grow crops like wheat, maize, and potatoes. Pomegranate and apricot trees also grow well there. The lower slopes are called "alpine dry steppes." These areas have gravel and soil made from rocks and dirt left by glaciers. They support little grass and shrubs. The "sub-alpine scrub zone" is found near rivers, streams, gullies, and ravines. It has bushes and small trees that lose their leaves in winter. This area provides food for farm animals and wild animals like deer. Higher up, there is the "alpine meadows and alpine scrub zone." This area has open grasslands and forests with tall trees that stay green all year. It is only used for grazing during the summer. Above this, there are areas covered in permanent snow and cold desert conditions, found between 4,200 to 5,100 meters (13,780 to 16,732 feet). These areas have small patches of short, tough grass and plants that can survive in harsh conditions.
Flora and fauna
Some valleys are mainly found in areas with groups of West Himalayan spruce, Himalayan white pine, and Pashtun juniper, including areas where only P. smithiana grows. Smaller shrubs and plants that grow with these groups include sea wormwood, Astragalus gilgitensis, Fragaria nubicola, Geranium nepalensis, Kashmir balsam, Thymus linearis, white clover, Rubus irritans, Taraxacum karakorium, and Taraxacum affinis. On some east and south-facing slopes, common sea buckthorn is the main shrub, often growing with Berberis lyceum. On some east-facing slopes at higher altitudes, groups of plants led by Rosa webbiana and Ribes orientale are common. Other plants that grow in the sparse grasslands, especially in gullies and ravines, include Salix denticulata, Mertensia tibetica, Potentilla desertorum, Juniperus polycarpus, alpine bistort, Berberis pachyacantha, and Spiraea lycioides.
Larger animals found in this region include the Marco Polo sheep, markhor, ibex, and urial. The snow leopard hunts these animals, as well as pikas, hares, and gamebirds that live in the area. Other predators include the mountain weasel, beech marten, brown bear, Asian black bear, Turkestan lynx, red fox, and Tibetan wolf. There are three types of lizards in the park, but no amphibians.
The number of bird species in the area is small. The robin accentor and black-throated thrush spend the winter here, while vultures, birds of prey, rosefinches, Himalayan monals, and Güldenstädt's redstarts live here all year, though they may move to slightly lower elevations during winter. The park has been named an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.
Climbing
Many expeditions visit this area of the Karakorum each year to climb large mountains, rocky areas, and tall, steep rock walls, as well as to trek. Most expeditions come in July and August, but some arrive as early as May and June. September is also a good time for climbing at lower altitudes. A well-known climbing spot is Trango Towers, which includes some of the tallest rock towers in the world. These towers are located in the park near the path used to trek to the K2 base camp. Each year, many expeditions from around the world visit this area to climb these most difficult granite towers.