Siachen Peace Park: A Case Study for the Valorisation of High Mountain Ecosystems
Publisher: Guiliano Tallone
Date: 2003
Topics: Cooperation, Governance, Land
Countries: India, Pakistan
The Karakoram range, which includes K2, the world’s second highest mountain, is one of the wonders of the world. The Siachen Glacier, a high mountain endangered ecosystem near K2, comprises an area surprisingly rich in wildlife: snow leopards, brown bears, herbivores and the plants they depend on; the area could well qualify for a World Heritage Site (see Allan 1995 for an extensive reference list). Despite this, years of war and border tensions between the armed forces of India and Pakistan have pushed this critical ecological habitat to the brink of disaster.
Quite apart from the tragic loss of human lives, the Siachen glacier is being quite catastrophically polluted by human waste (which does not easily decompose at those altitudes), by garbage, by chemical contamination from weapons and heavy equipment, and by oil and kerosene, essential for survival at high altitudes by both armies. These pollutants end up in the Nubra river, which in turn flows into the Shyok River and then into the Indus "on whose waters millions of people depend." (Ali 2002)
The designation of the entire Siachen – Saltoro area as a Transboundary Peace Park (for a definition, see Sandwith et al. 2001) has been proposed. As stated by Ali, this could be done without waiting for a total solution for the Kashmir problem and indeed would constitute a “confidence building measure”: “…turning the entire area into a Transboundary Peace Park […] would enable both armies to withdraw under conditions of honour and dignity; it would not prejudice their positions on Kashmir as a whole; it would stop further degradation of a magnificent mountain area; it would save thousands of lives and billions of rupees; it would heal a running sore in the Kashmir imbroglio. […] The mountain terrain would present special difficulties, but from reports of recent discussions, it may be assumed that these can be overcome.” (Ali 2002)