Four future TFET zones and 10 participating countries

I continue to study scientific research on mountain wildlife refugia stretching from the Tian Shan to Tibet. The work is very time-consuming and difficult, but step by step, we will be able to develop the boundaries of future Territories of Full Ecological Tranquility (TFET) and present these projects to governments.

I came across an interesting scientific paper published in 2022 titled “Name and scale matter: Clarifying the geography of Tibetan Plateau and adjacent mountain regions.” It proposes viewing the Pan-Tibetan Highlands as a single macrosystem encompassing the Tibetan Plateau, the Himalayas, the mountains of Southwest China, and the mountains of Central Asia. The authors specifically point to the inadequacy of the existing protected-area network and the need for its scientifically grounded optimization. In other words, this is almost exactly what we have been discussing. As you can see, experts working directly in this field are also arriving at the conclusion that large-scale natural agglomerations (TFET) need to be created.

So, at this stage, we are collecting data for the following regions: the Tian Shan, then the Pamirs, moving toward the Hindu Kush (Karakoram), and from there to the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau.

I believe the first TFET projects will be developed specifically for these regions. They will consist of several TFET zones that need to be established independently of one another while remaining interconnected. The projects will have to be prepared and submitted to ten countries, and each country will need a detailed explanation of the fundamental benefits it would gain from transforming its protected-area system in accordance with our Concept.

China (which is already partially implementing the state-level concept of “ecological civilization”), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. This is specifically a list of the countries that would participate in the future mountain TFET network, not a proposal to include the entire territory of each country. They would need to designate only part of their territories for these changes — a relatively small part, I would say — but this could have an enormous impact on nature conservation throughout the region.

As for the structure of the TFET network, at this point I am leaning toward four distinct zones, although I am not yet certain. There is still too little data. I will present my vision soon and will probably prepare a separate publication outlining four TFET zones stretching from the Tian Shan to Tibet, with a scientific rationale for each of them, as well as an explanation of which countries should form TFET alliances so that the protected-area system can function effectively.

Incidentally, these are entirely realistic processes even under current conditions. The fact is that China now sets the direction in many areas, while the other countries closely follow its policies and build their own systems with the interests of the Middle Kingdom in mind. And it is China itself that, having passed through a critical stage of wildlife destruction within its own territory, is now moving toward the system of “ecological conservation redlines.”