Involving religious leaders in conservation education in the western Karakorum, Pakistan

Best conservation results are achieved when maximum attention is given to local participation through appropriate communication and education. In the western Karakorum, Pakistan—where religious institutions and leaders enjoy the respect of the local communities and the Islamic perception of the environment is traditionally conservation oriented—communication and education regarding conservation were found to be very successful when enabled by religious leaders. This article presents examples of conservation interventions attempted with local community groups and traditional institutions. The mediation of local religious teachers enhanced community participation in collecting knowledge about and protecting biodiversity in a region under population pressure. The leaders' support for conservation education and their mediation between traditional beliefs and practices on the one hand, and new insights and trends from the world at large on the other, also made it possible to address conflict-laden issues emerging from the tourism industry in this fascinating mountain region.