Eco Tourism

Pakistan's northern mountains harbour biodiversity that surprises most visitors. Gilgit-Baltistan alone protects six national parks, including the Deosai National Park — a 3,000 km² plateau above 4,000 m that shelters the world's second-highest concentration of Himalayan brown bears. Through community-led conservation, the Deosai bear population recovered from fewer than 20 individuals in the early 1990s to more than 70 by the 2020s. The snow leopard, one of conservation's most iconic species, numbers an estimated 200–420 animals across Pakistan, with the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges forming critical habitat.

Community-based tourism initiatives, many supported by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), have linked wildlife protection directly to local livelihoods. Village-level trophy hunting schemes — where communities retain the majority of fees — have dramatically reduced poaching of the Himalayan ibex and Marco Polo sheep. Visitors on eco-tourism programmes stay in community-run guesthouses, employ local naturalist guides, and contribute to conservation funds managed by village organisations. This model, recognised internationally as a best-practice approach, means that choosing an eco-tour in Pakistan directly funds the survival of some of Asia's rarest mountain wildlife.