In the remote Gojal area of Gilgit-Baltistan Province, amid the rugged slopes of the Karakoram, the foundation was laid on 25 September 2026 for a research centre intended to become a pillar for the study and protection of snow leopards.
The new facility — the Snow Leopard and Mountain Biodiversity Research Centre — is being built by the local Passu Development Organisation with the support of WWF-Pakistan and WWF-Italy. It will be located in the Passu area and will serve as a base for scientists, students and conservation specialists.
The ceremony was attended by WWF-Pakistan Director Hammad Naqi, Hunza Regional Council President Karim, former Tourism Minister Raja Shahbaz Khan, the Gojal magistrate and representatives of local communities. All of them stressed that conservation success depends on close cooperation between residents, civil society and scientific organisations.
The centre will make it possible to conduct field research on the flora and fauna of Gilgit-Baltistan and neighbouring mountain systems, with particular attention to the snow leopard and its habitats. In addition, educational programmes are planned here, along with efforts to promote sustainable ecosystem conservation practices.
Particular importance is attached to the role of local communities. According to Hammad Naqi, “conservation becomes truly sustainable when local residents are at the centre of the process.” The centre is to become a platform for the exchange of knowledge between residents, researchers and educational institutions.
The initiative is designed for the long term: it is intended to strengthen the scientific base and involve communities in protecting mountain ecosystems for future generations. In the context of climate change and growing pressure on high-mountain landscapes, such centres help gather accurate data and develop measures that take into account both nature and people's interests.
The construction of the centre in Gojal shows that even in the most hard-to-reach corners of the planet it is possible to create conditions for systematic work on the conservation of rare species when science and local knowledge act together.
