NZ survey in Himalayas

Forest and Bird, Issue 292, 1 May 1999, Page 13

NZ survey in Himalayas

—Philippe Gerbeaux

team of eight New Zealand conservation specialists has conducted a survey of important high-alti-tude wetlands in the Pakistan Himalayas. A West Coast freshwater biologist, Dr Philippe Gerbeaux, headed the team which included several staff from the Department of Conservation, a stream ecologist from the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere, two students from Tauranga Polytechnic, and two Tasmanians. The Deosai Plains form a large wilderness area located at the north-western extremity of the Great Himalayan Range. It is a high plateau of moorland and swamp with numerous small lakes and ponds. The wetlands are fed by snow melt from the surrounding high snow-clad peaks and are drained by many rivers and streams. There are also large expanses of alpine meadows and drier stony areas. At the height of 4000 metres, summer does not begin until June when the snow melts, then many varieties of wildflowers bring colour to the undulating landscape. The team made the journey by road from Lahore and up the Indus Valley before reaching the base camp on the plateau. Local staff of the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Adventure Foundation for Pakistan participated in the expedition. The team studied numerous wetlands and streams important to the survival of a brown bear population living in the Deosai Plains. The remnant population is being sustained thanks to the actions of the Northern Province government which declared the area a national park in 1993, and the efforts of the Himalayan Wildlife Project (HWP), a non-govern-

mental organization dedicated to safeguarding the biodiversity of Pakistan’s northern areas. Other mammals, such as wolves, foxes and snow leopards occur in the area. Grazing by domestic stock occurs on the plateau in the summer. Some people still shoot at bears or other animals and a major task of the HWP manager, M. Abdul Haleem Siddiqui, is to educate the shepherds on the biodiversity values of the Deosai. HWP personnel have a basecamp on the plateau and stay there from June till October. Access to the plateau is regulated and access to the core zone is prohibited. These are important measures considering the increasing numbers of tourists travelling by jeep across the area. The team has gathered some important information on plants (including algae), birds, fish and aquatic invertebrates which will help in developing a management plan for the park. The information will also help support a case to designate the area as a wetland of international significance under the Ramsar Convention. Another trip is planned in 1999 to complete some studies on fish fauna which is very abundant in the streams and consists essentially of snow-carp. The 1998 Pakistan-New Zealand Deosai Wetland/Wildlife survey team was sponsored by Rubicon Travel Consultants, WWFPakistan and the Adventure Foundation of Pakistan (AFP).