I finished my Postgraduate Diploma in International Wildlife Conservation Practice from the University of Oxford in 2023 where I was selected to form the cohort of eight early-career conservationists from around the world, with a focus on representation from Global South countries where we would otherwise never have such an amazing opportunity as this. I was awarded a distinction upon completing this course, the highest possible grade, despite additional difficulties I encountered in the year through getting stress fractures in both legs.
There is a huge conservation funding gap globally, and multiple forms of revenue streams are required for effective and equitable conservation. There are often deeply polarising debates about the role and impacts of different wildlife-based land uses, in terms of impacts on wildlife species and the communities living closest to them. For example, there are growing calls in some countries to ban trophy hunting, or at least imports from such hunting, due to concerns about impacts on conservation and a lack of benefits to local people. Meanwhile, mountain tourism is also coming under growing scrutiny, as consumers want assurances that it is responsible both in terms of conservation and local livelihoods.
Notably, such discussions often lack the perspectives of people most affected by these different land uses. This is particularly true in remote communities in places like Pakistan, where mountain tourism and trophy hunting have been practiced as a conservation tool since 1993. As the 1st person from Pakistan to join Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) in nearly 40 years and a Fellow of esteemed societies such as the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and the Linnean Society of London, I am well placed to conduct cutting-edge and important research to better understand the Pakistani perspective of these kinds of tourism models.
Through my DPhil in Biology at Christ Church Oxford, I aim to investigate the socio-economic and ecological impacts of community-based mountain tourism and trophy-hunting tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. My research will focus on the Central Karakoram National Park—the world’s highest national park and Pakistan’s largest—and Deosai National Park, the second-highest plateau on Earth. This region, home to 05 of the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks and the largest glaciers outside the polar regions, hosts an incredible array of wildlife, including the elusive SnowLeopard, its prey the majestic Markhor and Ibex, and the giant Himalayan Brown Bear.
Over the past two decades, tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan has surged from around 100,000 visitors to nearly 2 million annually by 2024, presenting both conservation challenges and development opportunities. The amount of trophy hunting has also increased fivefold, shifting local perspectives and sparking interest in extending trophy hunting to species like the Snow Leopard and Brown Bear.
My research will compare the impacts of mountain tourism and trophy hunting on local culture and perceptions of wildlife. I will particularly look at the revenue generated from these conservation models, how it is distributed within communities, utilising for social development, and the actual costs and benefits of each approach. I will assess the effects of both activities on the ecological management of key species—such as the Snow Leopard, Brown Bear, Ibex, and Markhor—particularly in the context of climate change and glacial melt leading to habitat shifts. In the final chapter, I will study the opportunities for emerging nature-based activities such as trekking, wildlife sightings, and photographing around Snow Leopard, Brown Bear, and ibex, which have seen a surge in recent years, judging from social media posts from the region.
However being from a moderate background, I do not have the required funds to cover my living expenses which are around £. That is why I am initiating this fundraiser to raise the required amount. I need them by June 31st to secure my place for this DPhil. The £20,000 funding will cover my travel, living, fieldwork, and equipment costs, enabling me to generate empirical evidence on the comparative impacts of community-based mountain tourism and trophy hunting in the fragile Himalayan-Karakoram ecosystems.
Your pledge will help me secure the funds to generate evidence-based research and contribute to this ongoing debate. I shall also inspire and mentor other early career conservationists to pursue their education in renowned universities and contribute to biodiversity conservation in my beautiful home country of Pakistan.
The research will be conducted in collaboration with local wildlife and forest departments and will actively involve early-career graduates from local communities, equipping them with skills for future independent research. This study aims to inform policy on responsible tourism development by identifying sustainable practices and potential communities by engaging key national and international stakeholders and will contribute towards the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). This will be the first step to establishing a Pakistan-oriented research group at WildCRU, Oxford.