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Deosai National Park

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Deosai National Park

22 April, 2024 Waqar Ul Hassan 8358
Deosai National Park

Deosai is a high-altitude alpine plain situated at an average elevation of 4,114 m above sea level. In Balti language, it is called “Ghbiarsa” meaning “summer’s Place” as it is only accessible in the summers. Deosai Plains are considered as the second highest plateau in the world. The Deosai plateau experiences extreme cold, low atmospheric pressure, low oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, aridity, and intense UV radiation. Due to its location facing the monsoon-affected outer Himalayas, it receives more rainfall than the nearby valleys of Baltistan, with annual precipitation ranging from 350 to 550 mm, mostly as winter snow.

Deosai National Park, situated at the convergence of the Himalayan and Karakorum-Pamir highlands, boasts rich biodiversity. Species are channeled through the Karakorum range, the Himalayas' main crest, the Zanskar and Ladakh ranges, and the Indus valley. Deosai National Park's high-altitude wetlands, including Sheosar Lake at 4,250 meters, are unique to the Himalaya, Hindukush, and Karakoram ranges. Fed by snowmelt, these wetlands are drained by fast-flowing rivers and streams. The landscape features alpine meadows, stony areas, dwarf willows, and species like Poa, Saxifraga, and Euphorbia. The park is crucial for watershed value, with the Shatung, Bara Pani, and Kala Pani rivers forming the Shigar River, a key Indus River tributary.

Deosai National Park, part of the Conservation International Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot, hosts diverse species such as the Tibetan wolf, Himalayan ibex, Tibetan red fox, and golden marmots. Its waters contain large local snow trout. The park, within BirdLife International's Western Himalaya Endemic Bird Area, is crucial for residential and migratory birds. Influenced by four major floristic elements, Deosai is home to numerous medicinal and aromatic plants. In spring, it is adorned with wildflowers and rare butterflies.

The area was designated as Deosai National Park in 1993 aiming to protect the critically endangered Himalayan Brown Bear. This keystone species faces threats from habitat loss, fragmentation, poaching, and bear baiting. Legally protected and listed as critically endangered by IUCN, Pakistan's bear populations are small and declining, with Deosai Plateau hosting the only stable population of 72 bears, unlike other regions where populations do not exceed 20 individuals. The Himalayan brown bear, a critically endangered keystone species of Deosai National Park, faces slow reproduction, small populations, and decline due to habitat loss, fragmentation, poaching, and bear baiting. Legally protected and recently listed as critically endangered in the IUCN’s Red List of Mammals of Pakistan, seven populations likely remain in the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush ranges. Deosai Plateau is the only area with a stable population of 72 bears, whereas other regions have fewer than 20 individuals.

Deosai National Park, at the confluence of the Himalayan and Karakorum-Pamir highlands, is rich in biodiversity and internationally significant for protecting the critically endangered Himalayan Brown Bear. It hosts the region's only stable bear population, vital for the species' survival.

Deosai and Sheosar Lake (also called Blind Lake) form one of the world's highest freshwater wetlands. This cold alpine environment, rich in diverse flora and species, benefits from its location at the confluence of the Karakorum range, Himalayas, Zanskar range, Ladakh range, and Indus valley. Deosai National Park is an outstanding example of significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of the high altitude wetlands of the Western Himalayas. Deosai National Park is crucial for conserving high-altitude wetland biodiversity and was designated to protect the endangered Brown Bear, a species of global conservation importance.

The park's national status ensures its integrity, with boundaries designed to protect its Outstanding Universal Value as a high-altitude wetland and critical habitat for the endangered Himalayan Brown Bear. Its size is adequate to represent these values fully. Deosai plains have no permanent human habitation due to extreme weather and remoteness. Tourism is limited to the short summer season. Traditional grazing rights are restricted to seven communities with designated summer pastures within the park.

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