The Karakoram-Pamir Landscape (KPL) initiative is a regional programme for enhancing cooperation among countries for biodiversity management and sustainable development in the China-Pakistan border region of the western Hindu Kush Himalayas. The initiative began with an agreement signed in Beijing for bilateral collaboration between the governments of China and Pakistan to ensure the protection of Marco Polo sheep and other endangered species in two adjacent transboundary protected areas – the Khunjerab National Park in Pakistan and the Taxkorgan Nature Reserve in China – and focuses on maintaining the sanctity of the protected areas on both sides of the border. Emphasis is placed on creating sustainable economic opportunities for the people in the region and improving their quality of life by mobilizing them to protect the environment, which could in turn enhance the local economy.
