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UNESCO Biosphere Reserve · 2023
Chitral Bashkar Garmchashm Biosphere Reserve
Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
A vast Hindu Kush landscape of glaciers, alpine pastures and juniper and deodar forest in Chitral, recognised by UNESCO in 2023 for the way its wildlife and its many cultures live side by side.
The landscape
Steep mountains, deep valleys, alpine pastures and glaciers make up the reserve, with several peaks above 7,000 metres and Lake Bahuk at around 4,000 metres. Juniper and deodar cedar forests give way to wide cold-desert and dry-alpine zones.
Wildlife
It is home to the Kashmir markhor, the Siberian ibex, the Ladakh urial and the snow leopard — all protected species — and lies on the Indus flyway used by migratory birds.
People and cultures
More than a dozen communities live here, with as many languages — among them the Khow, Kalash, Katoray, Mehter, Sheikhan and Quraysh. The Kalash, around 4,000 people, live in three valleys within the reserve.
The reserve aims to conserve these mountain ecosystems while supporting nature- and culture-based tourism and the livelihoods that come with it, alongside education, research and monitoring.