The Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as the Nubra Shyok or the (Saichen Shyok is a high altitude wildlife sanctuary located in the easternmost reaches of the Karakoram range in Leh district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh.[1] It was established in 1987 and covers an area of about 5,000 square kilometres (500,000ha).[2] It is an important wildlife sanctuary due to being one of the few places in India with a migratory population of the Chiru or Tibetan Antelope.
Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary lies entirely in the northeast area of India-administered Ladakh. It's boundaries, defined by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), are:[3]
Southern boundary: run from Karu to Leh along NH-3, then from Leh along NH-1 to Khalatse then to Hanuthang and Thanga at Loc;[3]
Western boundary: then turn north from Thanga to and run along India-Pakistan Loc and northwest alon AGPL in Siachen till Indira Col tri-junction of temporary but disputed borders held by India-Pakistan-China;[3]
Eastern boundary: then from Durbuk to Karu (on NH-3).[3]
Ecology
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.
Flora
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, Ephedra gerardiana, and Hyoscymus Niger are the threatened but medicinally important plants occur in this wildlife sanctuary.[5][6]
Fauna
The Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary's fauna includes the elusive snow leopard, Siberian ibex, and bharal (blue sheep). It also hosts other high-altitude species like the Tibetan argali, Tibetan gazelle, Ural sheep, and wild yak. The Tibetan antelope (chiru) is also found here, as are several bird species like the black-necked crane (seasonally) and Himalayan snowcock.
↑ Chandra Prakash Kala (2000). Status and conservation of rare and endangered medicinal plants in the Indian trans-Himalaya. Biological Conservation, 93: 371-379.
↑ 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.
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