Back to news
24 Oct 2018 | HKPL

Bam-e-Dunya: a network to bolster conservation efforts on the roof of the world

Partners from protected areas in four countries along the ancient Silk Route – Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, and Tajikistan – and international conservation agencies have formed the ‘Bam-e-Dunya’ network and signed a joint declaration with the aim to promote long-term conservation and sustainable mountain development in the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape (HKPL). The declaration was signed during a four-day workshop jointly organized by ICIMOD and Lanzhou University titled, “Harmonizing Conservation and Development along the Silk Road’ held at Lanzhou, China from 14–17 September 2018.

1 min Read

70% Complete

This historic agreement lays the foundation for long-term collaboration and exchange to conserve fragile ecosystems and help mountain communities adapt and thrive in the face of rapid cultural, economic, and environmental change. ‘Bam-e-Dunya’ is a Persian phrase meaning ‘roof of the world’. Workshop participants adopted the name unanimously to focus much needed attention on the HKPL and to foster exchange and cooperation among inter-connected protected areas such as: Wakhan National Park in Afghanistan; Taxkorgan Nature Reserve in China; Broghil, Khunjerab, and Qurumbar national parks in Pakistan; and the Zorkul Nature Reserve in Tajikistan.

The workshop participants endorsed the need “to harmonize and strengthen integrated landscape management for long-term conservation and sustainable mountain development in the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape” and pledged to encourage exchange knowledge, expand access to regional and international networks, promote technology transfer and to build capacity, and to identify joint opportunities and challenges related to conservation and development. More than 40 people attended the workshop, including representatives of protected areas from the four countries, international conservation agencies and subject experts.

This new collaboration will contribute to efforts by the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (HKPLCDI), an initiative of ICIMOD, to promote regional cooperation to support sustainable development along with the conservation of the landscape’s rich natural and cultural heritage. HKPLCDI is currently supported by the government of Sweden.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

related content

Continue exploring this topic

10 Dec 2018 HI-LIFE
Fostering Regional Cooperation for Primate Conservation and Research in the Far-Eastern Himalaya

The meetings involved protected area managers, scholars, and experts from within and outside the landscape and explored opportunities and constraints ...

10 Feb 2015 News
Myanmar to lead the way with ecotourism in protected areas

On 19–21 May 2015, the Government of Myanmar launched its ambitious Ecotourism Policy and Management Strategy for Protected Areas, developed ...

23 Sep 2015 News
ICIMOD introduces solar irrigation systems in Saptari District, Nepal

A woman farmer, a water seller, a large farmer, and a farmer’s association became the first farmers in Saptari to ...

24 Dec 2015 Livelihoods
Bee farmers in KSL-India Learn Modern Methods of Beekeeping Management

  Rural communities in the Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL)-India have a rich tradition of beekeeping with the indigenous honeybee, Apis cerana. Over ...

13 Dec 2017 News
ICIMOD Provides Technical Support to Farmers during Agri-Flori Fair in Bhutan

ICIMOD shared a stall with the Bhutan Youth Cooperative (BYC) where they demonstrated bio-briquette technology and promoted the ICIMOD Knowledge ...

Bhutan, India, and Nepal to Strengthen Regional Cooperation through Tourism in the Kangchenjunga Landscape

The event focused on sharing existing practices and improving the potential and future prospects of tourism as a major conservation ...

Accelerating change for sustainable water management in the HKH

As we join the global community in marking World Water Day with the theme ‘Accelerating Change’, we are yet again ...