Zorkol lake lies at the northern edge of the Great Pamir.
The Great Pamir is used by Wakhi and Kyrgyz herders for summer pasture.
[4] Side valleys support populations of Marco Polo sheep, snow leopard, ibex, and brown bear.
[5] The 57,700 ha Pamir-i-Buzurg Wildlife Reserve in Afghanistan contains an area of high mountains, within which the valleys of the Abakhan, Manjulak, Sargaz and Tulibai rivers flow into the Pamir River.
The reserve has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of Himalayan snowcocks, Himalayan griffons, wallcreepers, white-winged redstarts, Altai accentors, brown accentors, white-winged snowfinches, great rosefinches, plain mountain finches and Brandt's mountain finches.