The northeastern part of Pakistan is known to be a region of extremes, where the highest reliefs and the longest glaciers of the world can be found. In this environment, the multidisciplinary Social, Economic and Environmental Development Project SEED, developed by Ev-K2-CNR and composed of smaller projects focusing on different themes (e.g., glaciology, meteorology, land cover) will permit the characterization, from different points of view, of the Central Karakoram National Park area. One of the themes is focused on improving the knowledge of the territory through the analysis of geological hazards; the output of the project can be an important tool for a future rational territorial planning. In fact, the project has the general aim to promote the sustainable development of the local communities of the Gilgit-Baltistan Region. In this context, an inventory of landslide bodies and a map of landslide- or rock fall-prone areas is useful to identify the areas where human settlements must be avoided and therefore it provides the stakeholders with an important updatable tool for territorial planning, as required by the new management plan for the national park, where zoning system for conservation of the ecosystem, and promotion of tourism is recommended.
The project started one and half year ago mainly focusing on three different areas located inside the park areas (Fig. 1). Bagrot, Haramosh, Chogo Lungma and Biafo valleys were partially surveyed and the main landslides were identified. The field work has been used as validation tool to verify the location of landslides previously identified trough GIS techniques adapting the AHP methodology to the investigated areas. Debris flow, rotational and translational (Fig. 2) landslides and rock falls were outlined and the first cadastre for the Central Karakoram National Park was initiated.
Acknowledgments
This research was developed in the framework of SEED (Social Economic and Environmental Development in the CKNP Region, Northern Areas, Pakistan) Project, funded by Government of Italy and Pakistan in collaboration with Ev-K2-CNR Committee and Karakoram International University.
