RELIGION AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES: A CASE STUDY OF KHUNJERAB NATIONAL PARK, GILGIT-BALTISTAN, PAKISTAN

This paper examines the contribution of religion to environmental sustainability, paying attention to the impact of religious beliefs, religious practices, and religious leaders in the context of the Khunjerab National Park (KNP) in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.Using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study analyses data gathered from 500 respondents in KNP to examine the relationship between religious beliefs, religious practices, religious leaders, and environmental sustainability.The results show a strong positive relationship between religious beliefs and environmental sustainability (path coefficient = 0.516), indicating that in this sample, those with more devout beliefs were more likely to act pro-environmentally.Religiosity does have a significant effect on environmental sustainability (coefficient path = 0.454), suggesting that although they are significant cultural phenomena, their role in the adoption of sustainable practices is also paramount.The impact of religious leaders is also noteworthy, as the relatively high path coefficient of 0.400 underlines the importance of religious leadership in inspiring communities to pursue sustainable practices.The model accounts for 90.3% variance in environmental sustainability behaviors (R = 0.903), meaning the combined influences of religious beliefs, practices, and leadership provide a strong explanatory scope over environmental actions.The findings have significant implications for environmental policy and religious communities.