The Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as the Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) Wildlife Sanctuary or the Karakoram (Saichen Shyok) Wildlife Sanctuary is a high altitude

wildlife sanctuary A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

located in the easternmost reaches of the Karakoram range in

Leh district Leh district is a district in the union territory of Ladakh, India. With an area of 45,110 ''km'2'', it is the second largest district in the country smaller only to Kutch. It is bounded on the north by Gilgit-Baltistan's Kharmang and G ...

, in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n union territory of

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu ...

. It was established in 1987 and covers an area of about . It is an important wildlife sanctuary due to being one of the few places in India with a migratory population of the

Chiru The Tibetan antelope or chiru (''Pantholops hodgsonii'') (, pronounced ; ) is a medium-sized bovid native to the northeastern Tibetan plateau. Most of the population live within the Chinese border, while some scatter across India and Bhutan in ...

or ''Tibetan Antelope''.

About

The Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 1987, is managed by the Wildlife Warden in Kargil, Ladakh. It measures around . It is classified as IUCN protected area (category IV) by the

World Conservation Monitoring Centre The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is a collaboration centre of UN Environment Programme, based in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. UNEP-WCMC has been part of UN Environment Programme since 2000, and has ...

. The

Botanical Survey of India Botanical Survey of India (BSI) located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was founded on 13 February 1890, is Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's organization for survey, research and conservation of pl ...

has called the wildlife sanctuary as an "under explored area with regards to botanical knowledge". Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary could become the "transboundary counterpart" of the

Central Karakoram National Park Central Karakoram National Park ( ur, ) is a national park located in Skardu district of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. It encompasses some of the world’s highest peaks and largest glaciers. Internationally renowned for mountaineering, rock ...

in Gilgit Baltistan. If the Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary is linked to the Siachen Peace Park, it could become a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Biodiversity

Being a cold desert area, the vegetation in Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary is quite sparse. However, the ecological marginal conditions have employed some remarkable characteristics in these vegetation, which has high medicinal properties. This Wildlife Sanctuary has been extensively surveyed by Chandra Prakash Kala for distribution of vegetation, including plants of medicinal values, across the environmental gradient and habitat types. Fifteen rare and endangered medicinal plant species have been discovered by CP Kala from this sanctuary, which are distributed over different habitat types. Arnebia euchroma,

Bergenia stracheyi ''Bergenia stracheyi'' is a plant species in the genus ''Bergenia'' found in the Western Himalayas, from 2700 to 4700 m, Afghanistan and Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Ta ...

, Ephedra gerardiana, and Hyoscymus Niger are the threatened but medicinally important plants occur in this wildlife sanctuary.Kala, Chandra Prakash (2005). Indigenous uses, population density, and conservation of threatened medicinal plants in protected areas of the Indian Himalayas. Conservation Biology, 19 (2): 368-378.

References

{{Reflist Leh district Wildlife sanctuaries in Ladakh 1987 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir Protected areas established in 1987