evidence: Gilgit-Baltistan (Fig. 1) is situated in the extreme north of Pakistan (between 35–37°N and 72–75°E); it borders Xinjiang Province of China to the northeast, India to the east and Afghanistan to the north and west. The region is dominated by the mountain ranges of the Karakorum, the Hindu Kush and the Himalaya, with more than 700 peaks above 6000 m and five above 8000 m in altitude, including K2 (8611 m). Most of the region’s surface is situated at >1500 m above sea level (asl), with more than half located at >4500 m asl (Khan 2003). Climatic conditions vary widely, ranging from the monsoon-influenced moist temperate zone in the western Himalaya to the arid and semi-arid cold desert in the northern Karakoram and the Hindu Kush, with daily mean temperatures ranging from −10°C in winter to +35°C in summer (Awan 2002).