{{short description|National park in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan}} {{Infobox protected area | name = Deosai National Park | iucn_category = Ib | image = Deosai pic hd.jpg | image_alt = | image_caption = | image_size = | location = Skardu District, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan | coordinates = {{coord|34|58|N|75|24|E|display=title,inline}} | area_ha = 358400<ref name="doam">{{cite web |title=Deosai National Park |url=https://doam.gov.pk/public/heritage-sites/805 |website=doam.gov.pk |publisher=Department of Archaeology and Museums - Government of Pakistan |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref> | established = | visitation_num = | visitation_year = | governing_body = | world_heritage_site = | alt_name = The Land of Giant<ref>{{cite news |last1=Khan |first1=Gulnaz |title=Explore Pakistan's wildest, most beautiful landscapes |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/beautiful-natural-wonders |work=National Geographic |date=16 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="The Nation" /> | elevation_avg = 4,114 m (13,497 ft) | nearest_city = Skardu and Astore }}
'''Deosai National Park''' ({{Langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|دیوسائی نیشنل پارک}}}}) is a high-elevation national park located on an alpine plain between the Skardu District and Astore District in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Lying to the east of Nanga Parbat in the western Himalayas close to the central Karakoram Range and surrounded by Deosai Mountains, the national park is in the tentative list under World Heritage Site of Pakistan.<ref name=Unesco>{{cite web |title=Deosai National Park |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6115/ |website=whc.unesco.org |publisher=World Heritage Convention, UNESCO |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref><ref name="fweb">{{cite web |title=NATIONAL PARKS - DEOSAI NATIONAL PARK |url=https://fwegb.gov.pk/national-parks/ |website=fweb.gov.pk |date=5 January 2022 |publisher=Forest, Wildlife & Environment Department Government of Gilgit-Baltistan |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Deosai National Park Skardu |url=https://www.skardu.pk/deosai-national-park/ |access-date=31 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="Nyla">{{cite news |last1=Daud |first1=Nyla |title=TRAVEL: A DEOSAI ADVENTURE |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1760028 |access-date=10 November 2024 |work=Dawn |date=18 June 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Deosai Mountains |date=10 September 2024 |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Deosai-Mountains |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref>
The Deosai Plains are situated at an average elevation of {{convert|4,114|m}} above sea level.<ref name="Ozturk">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v1X1CAAAQBAJ&q=deosai+4114&pg=PA456|title=Climate Change Impacts on High-Altitude Ecosystems|last1=Öztürk|first1=Münir|last2=Hakeem|first2=Khalid Rehman|last3=Faridah-Hanum|first3=I.|last4=Efe|first4=Recep|page=456 |date=2015-05-05|publisher=Springer|isbn=9783319128597|language=en}}</ref>
==Etymology== [[File:Sheoser lake deosai national park.jpg|thumb|Sheosar Lake is in the western part of Deosai National Park.]] 'Deosai' ({{langx|Scl|{{Nastaliq|دیوسای٘}}}}) consists of two Shina words 'deo' ('giant') and 'sai' (shadow'), meaning the 'shadow of giant' or the 'land of giant'.<ref name="The Nation">{{cite news |last1=Ashdown |first1=Paddy |title=Deosai Plain – A jewel in crown of Gilgit-Baltistan |url=https://www.nation.com.pk/23-Jun-2024/deosai-plain-a-jewel-in-crown-of-gilgit-baltistan |access-date=10 November 2024 |work=The Nation |date=23 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rashid |first=Salman |title=Deosai: land of the giant |last2=Khawar |first2=Nadeem |date=2013 |publisher=Sang-e-Meel Publications |isbn=978-969-35-2660-8 |location=Lahore}}</ref> The Balti people call it 'Ghbiarsa' ({{langx|bft|{{Nastaliq|غبیارسہ}}}}), meaning 'summer's place', because it is only accessible in the summer.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Abbas |first1=Zaheer |last2=Kousar |first2=Shazia |last3=Aziz |first3=Muhammad Abdul |last4=Pieroni |first4=Andrea |last5=Aldosari |first5=Ali Abdullah |last6=Bussmann |first6=Rainer W. |last7=Raza |first7=Ghulam |last8=Abbasi |first8=Arshad Mehmood |date=2021-05-14 |title=Comparative Assessment of Medicinal Plant Utilization among Balti and Shina Communities in the Periphery of Deosai National Park, Pakistan |journal=Biology |language=en |volume=10 |issue=5 |pages=434 |doi=10.3390/biology10050434 |pmid=34068859 |pmc=8153600 |doi-access=free |issn=2079-7737}}</ref>
The specific English moniker "Land of the Giant" was coined by the travel writer and historian Salman Rashid in the early 1990s to reflect this singular legend. While modern media and tourism brochures frequently pluralize the name to "Land of the Giants", historical research into the original Shina etymology and oral traditions supports the singular usage.<ref name="Rashid2013">{{cite book |last=Rashid |first=Salman |title=Deosai: Land of the Giant |publisher=Sang-e-Meel Publications |year=2013 |isbn=978-9693526608 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="Rashid1995">{{cite book |last=Rashid |first=Salman |title=Between Two Burrs on the Map: Travels in Northern Pakistan |publisher=Sang-e-Meel Publications |year=1995 |isbn=978-9693506303}}</ref>
==Geography== thumb|Bara Pani is the largest of the rivers that traverse Deosai National Park. Deosai National Park is located in Western Himalayas in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. It has an average elevation of {{convert|4114|m|ft}} above sea level, making the Deosai Plains the second highest plateau in the world after Changtang Tibetan Plateau.<ref name="Ozturk" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Deosai National Park 2nd Highest Plateau |url=https://www.skardu.pk/deosai-national-park/ |access-date=21 March 2021}}</ref> The park protects an area of {{convert|843|sqkm|mi2}}. It is well known for its rich flora and fauna of the Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe eco-region. In spring, it is covered by sweeps of wildflowers and a wide variety of butterflies. thumb|alt=Bara Pani flowing through Deosai Plains|Bara Pani flowing through Deosai Plains
==Travel routes== Deosai is accessible from Astore District in the west, Skardu District in the north, and Galtari Tehsil of Skardu District in the south-east. It is also accessible from Mehdiabad via Mehdiabad-Dapa Road. Deosai is located approximately {{convert|30|km}} from Skardu city, which is the shortest route to visit Deosai. Another route is from Astore valley via Chilim. It is also accessible from Shila valley. The people of Galtari travel via Deosai. While it is a National Park, the Gujjar-Bakwarwal travel large distances to utilize the Deosai National Park as grazing lands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://earthjournalism.net/stories/nomadic-life-a-struggle-against-climate-change-and-authorities|title=Nomadic life: A struggle against climate change and authorities|last=Rafiq|first=Arshed|publisher=Daily Times Pakistan|website=Earth Journalism Network|date=11 July 2018|language=en|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref> There is another route called Burgy la via Burgy Nala Skardu.<ref name="Deosai1">{{cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/208818/deosai-anything-but-plain/|title=Deosai: Anything but plain|date=17 July 2011|author=Karim Shah Nizari|newspaper=The Express Tribune|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref><ref name="Deosai2">{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1178524|title=Deosai Plains: Welcome to surreal Pakistan|newspaper=DAWN|date=27 April 2015|author=Syed Mehdi Bukhari|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref><ref name="Deosai3">{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1250740|title=My search for the elusive 'giant' of Deosai|newspaper=DAWN|date=9 April 2016|author=Osman Ehtisham Anwar|access-date=3 September 2022}}</ref>
==Geology and soil== The soils of this area are severely eroded, of a coarser nature and mixed with gravel and stones of various materials and sizes. In flat areas between mountains, soil is deep with marshy vegetation.
== Fauna and flora == thumb|Several varieties of wildflowers grow on the plains. The Deosai National Park was established in 1993 to protect the survival of the critically endangered Himalayan brown bear and its habitat. Having long been a prize kill for poachers and hunters, the bear now has a hope for survival in Deosai where its number has increased from only 19 in 1993, to 40 in 2005, and 78 in 2022.<ref name="tribune.com.pk">{{Cite web |date=2022-03-27 |title=Himalayan bears on verge of extinction |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2349904/himalayan-bears-on-verge-of-extinction |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref><ref name="doam" /> [[File:Medvěd plavý (Ursus arctos isabellinus).jpg|thumb|The Himalayan brown bear, a key endangered species in Deosai National Park under Sustainable Development Goal 15<ref>{{cite web |title=Deosai - Wilderness in Peril (Conservation of Himalayan Brown Bear) |url=https://www.undp.org/pakistan/deosai-wilderness-peril |website=undp.org |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |access-date=10 November 2024}}</ref>]] In 1993, after playing an instrumental role in the designation of Deosai as a National Park,<ref name="Ibriz">{{cite news |last1=Sheikh |first1=Ibriz |title=Should the G-B govt be holding a festival at the world's second highest plateau? |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1149552/g-b-govt-holding-festival-worlds-highest-plateau |access-date=10 November 2024 |work=The Express Tribune |date=1 August 2016}}</ref> the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (formerly the Himalayan Wildlife Project) was founded with a substantial international financial support. The Himalayan Wildlife Foundation ran two park entry check posts and a field research camp in Deosai for approximately ten years. Documentation was completed by the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation for the handover of the management of the Park to the, then, Northern Areas Forest Department with the department starting to manage the park since 2006. While pressures that existed in the 1990s, such as hunting and poaching have subsided, the brown bear is still under threat due to pressures such as climate change, and nutritional deficiencies in bears.<ref name="tribune.com.pk"/>
The Deosai Plains are also home to the Siberian ibex, Snow Leopard, Kashmir Musk Deer, Himalayan wolf, Himalayan marmot and over 124 types of resident and migratory birds. Birds in the park include the Golden eagle, Lammergeier, Himalayan vulture, Laggar falcon, Peregrine falcon, Eurasian kestrel, Eurasian sparrowhawk, and Himalayan snowcock.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://paktourismportal.com/deosai-national-park/|title=Deosai National Park|website=paktourismportal.com}}</ref> The plains are recognised under IUCN protected area category Ib as wilderness area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wilderness Protected Areas: Management guidelines for IUCN Category 1b protected areas |url=https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/pag-025.pdf |website=iucn.org |publisher=IUCN |access-date=10 November 2024|page=5}}</ref><ref name="fweb" />
The following plant species are found in Deosai:
''Polygonum affine'', ''Thalictrum alpinum'', ''Bromus oxyodon'', ''Saxifraga flagellaris'', ''Androsace mucronifolia'', ''Aster flaccidus'', ''Barbarea vulgaris'', ''Artemisia maritima'', ''Elymus longiaristatus'', ''Nepeta connata'', ''Carex cruenta'', ''Ranunculus laetus'', ''Arenaria neelgherrensis'', ''Astragalus leucocephalus'', ''Polygonum amplexinade'', ''Echinops niveus'', ''Senecio chrysanthemoides'', ''Artemisia'' spp., ''Dracocephalum nutans'', ''Taxus contorta'', ''Chrysopogon gryllus'' subsp. ''echinulatus'' and ''Dianthus crinitus''. There were also observed some medicinal plants which are locally famous i.e. ''Thymus linearis'' (Reetumburuk),<ref name="abbas">{{cite journal |last1=Abbas |first1=Zaheer |last2=Kousar |first2=Shazia |last3=Aziz |first3=Muhammad Abdul |last4=Pieroni |first4=Andrea |last5=Aldosari |first5=Ali Abdullah |last6=Bussmann |first6=Rainer W. |last7=Raza |first7=Ghulam |last8=Abbasi |first8=Arshad Mehmood |title=Comparative Assessment of Medicinal Plant Utilization among Balti and Shina Communities in the Periphery of Deosai National Park, Pakistan |journal=Biology |year=2021 |volume=10 |issue=5 |page=434 |id=434 |doi=10.3390/biology10050434|pmid=34068859 |pmc=8153600 |doi-access=free}}</ref>{{rp|11}} ''Saussurea lappa'' (kuth), ''Ephedra gerardiana'' (Say),<ref name="abbas" />{{rp|9}} ''Viola pilosa'' (Skora-mindoq),<ref name="abbas" />{{rp|11}} ''Pleurospermum candollei'' (Shamdun)<ref name="abbas" />{{rp|10}} and ''Artemisia brevifolia'' (Bursay)<ref name="abbas" />{{rp|8}} etc. which are used as traditional drug therapies.
==Cultural references==
===Herodotus=== Research by the French ethnologist Michel Peissel makes a claim that the story of 'Gold-digging ants' reported by the Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC, was founded on the golden Himalayan Marmot of the Deosai plateau and the habit of local tribes such as Minaro to collect the gold dust excavated from their burrows.<ref>Peissel, Michel. "The Ants' Gold: The Discovery of the Greek El Dorado in the Himalayas". Collins, 1984. {{ISBN|978-0-00-272514-9}}.</ref>
===In film=== * The documentary film series ''Land of the Tiger'' in episode 5, the "Mountains of the Gods", features the plants and animals of Deosai. * ''Karakoram Heliski 2013'' by Walkabout Films * ''DEOSAI - The Last Sanctuary'' by Walkabout Films *''Deosai – Wilderness in Peril'' by UNDP and Walkabout Films<ref>{{cite web |title=UNDP's new documentary raises awareness about need for conservation of Brown Bears in Northern Pakistan |url=https://www.undp.org/pakistan/press-releases/undps-new-documentary-raises-awareness-about-need-conservation-brown-bears-northern-pakistan |website=undp.org |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |access-date=10 November 2024 |date=23 May 2019}}</ref>
==See also== {{commons category}} * Karakoram * Gilgit * Baltistan
==References== {{Wikivoyage}} {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== *{{cite web |title=Deosai Management plan for National Park (2020-2025) |url=https://info.undp.org/docs/pdc/Documents/PAK/MANAGEMENT%20PLAN%20Deosai%20National%20Park.pdf |website=info.undp.org |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |access-date=10 November 2024}}
== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20190302024647/http://dnp.gog.pk/ Official website of Government of Gilgit Baltistan about Deosai National Park] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140823082701/http://www.wdgb.gov.pk/pages/np.HTML National Parks of Gilgit-Baltistan]
{{Baltistan}}{{Protected areas of Pakistan}}{{authority control}}
Category:Skardu District Category:Protected areas of Gilgit-Baltistan Category:National parks of Pakistan Category:Astore District