Story of GHNPCA

Unique Pic 8 Well-preserved low-altitude broadleaf mixed forests, Tirthan Valley.JPG

The Story of the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area

The Western Himalayas - A Natural Bridge Between Worlds

A Conservation Journey Begins

In the spring of 1969, Tony Gaston arrived in the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh to search for fossils in the Siwalik sediments. The Chil Pine ridges, the calls of Jungle Fowl and Peacocks, and the distant Himalayan peaks sparked a lifelong fascination. Later that year, at Manali—then a quiet mountain hamlet—he first experienced the raw beauty of the Himalayas.

Inspirations and Early Explorations

Through the 1970s, Tony and Anne-Marie explored Himachal’s landscapes, meeting hill communities and encountering vibrant mountain cultures. A decisive influence came through Penelope Chetwode and her book Kullu: The End of the Habitable World, deepening their connection to the region. Their treks revealed extraordinary forests and wildlife, especially in the Tirthan and Sainj valleys.

Scientific Foundations for Protection

Recognizing the Need

A 1972 trek across the Bashleo Pass revealed to Gaston the stark difference between degraded areas near Manali and intact conifer–oak–horse chestnut forests alive with birds. This realization sowed the seeds for modern Western Himalayan conservation.

The Himachal Wildlife Project

In the late 1970s, Gaston—along with Peter Garson and Mac Hunter—launched the Himachal Wildlife Project. Supported by WWF-India, World Pheasant Association, Zoological Survey of India and the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, it became one of India’s pioneering scientific wildlife surveys. They selected Himachal Pradesh as their study area because it was among India’s most heavily forested states, with around 40% forest cover, and even higher percentages when high-altitude barren areas were excluded. The region also contained extensive moist temperate forests—habitats particularly rich in wildlife and relatively less disturbed by human activity at the time. The team named their initiative the “Himachal Wildlife Project.”

Key findings (1979–1980):

Intact wildlife in remote Sainj & Tirthan valleys.
Heavy grazing pressures in Solang and Hamta.
Jiwanal–Sainj–Tirthan identified as prime conservation zones.

These findings laid the groundwork for declaring a National Park.

Creation of the National Park

A Protected Landscape Emerges

In 1984, based on scientific recommendations, the Government of Himachal Pradesh declared a National Park covering the Sainj, Jiwanal, and Tirthan catchments. Great Himalayan National Park was officially established in 1999, protecting one of the last remaining intact Western Himalayan ecosystems.

A Model for Science-Based Conservation

Unlike many protected areas in India, GHNP was created not from royal hunting preserves but from ecological research and vision. Its valleys—remote and sparsely populated—remained largely untouched by the development boom of the Kullu Valley.

Leadership, People & Partnerships

A New Era of Engagement

From 1998 to 2006, Sanjeeva Pandey led GHNP as its Director. Guided by Vipassana discipline and collaborative values, he focused on:

Linking conservation with local livelihoods
Reforming resource governance
Involving women and marginalized groups
Building partnerships across government, NGOs, and communities

Research & Learning

Pandey’s doctoral work with G.S. Rawat and Sejal Worah strengthened GHNP’s evidence-based management and highlighted the importance of socially inclusive conservation.

Encounters that Shaped the Park

A pivotal meeting in 2000 with Payson R. Stevens led to creative and scientific collaborations—treks, storytelling, and GHNP’s first website.

Other key allies:

Vinay Tandon — Strategic insights on linking Women’s Groups and conservation.
Avay Shukla — Support for creating Khirganga National Park to safeguard alpine habitats.

Family, friends, and colleagues joined treks across GHNP, deepening bonds between people and place.

Friends of GHNPCA:

Friends of GHNPCA was formed in 2000 as a volunteer group. Members come from all walks of life (mostly the foreign visitors/tourists who have visited the GHNPCA) and believes that GHNPCA should have international support for its efforts to protect a part of the unique environment of the Western Himalaya. These dedicated members helped further spread the message of the Park to the world. The Web site www.greathimalayannationalpark.com had been created and developed by the Friends of GHNPCA. A 20-minute video documentary, Voices and Choices in the Great Himalayan National Park, has been made by the Friends (2005). The video A Few Impressions of GHNP has interviews with people closely associated with GHNPCA (2010). Friends of GHNPCA also prepared most of the educational and promotional print work for the Park including brochures, posters, flyers, etc. There have been a number of slide shows and talks on GHNP in USA and Europe. All these efforts have given the Park world wide publicity.

World Heritage Recognition: UNESCO World Heritage Site

The UNESCO World Heritage nomination was coordinated by Friends of GHNP, including Pandey and Stevens, with support from experts worldwide.

Conservation Area:

754.4 sq km GHNP
90 sq km Sainj Wildlife Sanctuary
61 sq km Tirthan Wildlife Sanctuary
265.6 sq km Ecozone (buffer)

23 June 2014: GHNP was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under Criterion X (Outstanding Universal Value for biodiversity).

FoGHNPCA and IRALE

The website www.greathimalayannationalpark.com has been receiving lots of tractions and is being managed by FoGHNPCA, involving technical inputs, management time and financial implications, which also needs to be transcended. Many of the members of FoGHNPCA have emphasized the urgent need to explore the options to formalize and strengthen these efforts in GHNPCA. Since the FoGHNPCA is only an informal group and involves foreign nationals too, it is not possible to bring in a formal structure within India law. Hence, any existing system that can host the functioning of FoGHNPCA and other agenda related to Himalayan Ecosystem may be the step forward. Accordingly, the discussion with Indian Regional Association for Landscape Ecology (IRALE), a Trust registered in Dehradun, is underway to accommodate this interest and accordingly, it can host the functioning of the FoGHNPCA, which can take the shape of ‘FoGHNPCA for Conservation and Communities (FGCC)’, ensuring a well-defined and collaborative approach under a dedicated framework and an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This will help drive impactful action, advance scientific research, technical assistance to the Park management, and enhance long-term ecological resilience in the region. To achieve this, a set of strategic actions has been planned, focusing on immediate, medium-term, and long-term goals for the sustained conservation of GHNPCA.

Planned Strategic Actions and Next Steps

A set of immediate, medium-term, and long-term strategic actions has been identified to ensure sustained conservation efforts in GHNPCA. The following steps are proposed:

This FoGHNPCA-IRALE partnership will focus on:

* Expanding GHNPCA to better protect biodiversity and migration corridors.

* Strengthening eco-tourism and conservation-based livelihoods through local partnerships.

* Continuing and expanding our website, www.greathimalayannationalpark.com, as an essential on-going historical source of information on the Park (since 2002) and an archive for science and community-related content on GHNP/GHNPCA

* Launching citizen science and education programs that engage youth and residents.

* Collaborating with community organizations to ensure local ownership and shared stewardship.

Chronology of the Great Himalayan National Park

Tony Gaston and Peter Garson continued to advise the Himachal Pradesh Government for nearly a decade after the establishment of the Park and later collaborated with the Wildlife Institute of India on designing monitoring surveys.

Key Milestones

1984 – Notification of Intention: Issued in accordance with India’s Wildlife Protection Act (1972).
1984 – First Revision of Notification: Removal of reference to the Buffer Zone.
1987 – First Management Plan for the Great Himalayan National Park.
1988 – Commencement of Settlement Proceedings.
1991 – Continuation of wildlife surveys in GHNP under the Himachal Wildlife Project–III (Gaston and Garson).
1994 – Second Revision of Notification to constitute the Sainj Wildlife Sanctuary.
1994–2002 – Major research initiatives at GHNP by the Wildlife Institute of India through the Conservation of Biodiversity (CoB) Project under the World Bank-funded Forestry Research, Education and Extension Project (FREEP).
1996 – Launch of the Conservation of Biodiversity (CoB) Project.
28 May 1999 – Final Notification of the Great Himalayan National Park.
1999 – Introduction of participatory forest and wildlife management at GHNP; micro-credit schemes initiated through Women’s Savings and Credit Groups (WSCGs).
2000 – Formation of informal support groups: Friends of GHNP (USA, Canada, Europe) and NGO SAHARA.
2000–2002 – Development of the official GHNP website by Friends of GHNP.
2002 – Expansion of Women’s Savings and Credit Groups.
2005 – Adoption of the Livelihood-Based Management Plan for GHNP (2005–2010), the first of its kind in India.
2007 – NGO My Himachal initiates child health fairs and environmental education programmes in ecozone villages.
2008 – US Fulbright supports research on the Western Tragopan in GHNP in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India.
2009 – Registration of Biodiversity Tourism Community Advancement (BTCA) as an NGO in the GHNP ecozone.
2010 – Approval by the Himachal Pradesh Government to declare 710 sq. km of the Parvati watershed as Khirganga National Park, adjoining GHNP. The Sainj and Tirthan Wildlife Sanctuaries are upgraded and merged into GHNP for enhanced protection.
2009–2011 – Preparation of the UNESCO World Heritage nomination dossier by Friends of GHNP, submitted through the Chief Wildlife Warden and Government of Himachal Pradesh to the Government of India.
2012 – At its 37th Session in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the World Heritage Committee refers India’s nomination back, requesting inclusion of the Tirthan and Sainj Wildlife Sanctuaries.
2013 – The State Party of India (with technical inputs from Friends of GHNP) submits a revised nomination with additional information and updated maps showing the expanded boundaries.
2014 – The Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A Living Legacy

GHNPCA’s story is one of science, community, and enduring passion for the Himalayas. It reflects:

Visionary individuals inspired by nature
Scientific groundwork for modern conservation
Collaborative leadership integrating ecology with livelihoods
Global recognition of a unique mountain ecosystem

Today, GHNPCA stands as a model for landscape-level conservation, balancing protection, community well-being, and the timeless beauty of the Himalayas.