ThisdocumentismadepossiblebythegeneroussupportoftheAmericanpeoplethroughtheUnitedStatesAgencyforInternationalDevelopment(USAID).ThecontentsaretheresponsibilityoftheGSLEPSecretariat,WWFandSLT,anddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsofUSAIDortheUnitedStatesGovernment.

BestPracticesinSnowLeopardConservation

AdviceDocumentAddendumtotheGeneralGuidelinesforClimateSmartSnowLeopardLandscapeManagementPlanningLeadAuthor:ChrisCzarnecki(chris@snowleopard.org),SnowLeopardTrust4649SunnysideAveN#325,Seattle,WA98103;YashVeerBhatnagar,PhD,(yash@ncf-india.org),NatureConservationFoundation/SnowLeopardTrust,WWF,3076/5IVCross,GokulamPark,Mysuru,570020,India.ContributingEditors:NilangaJayasinghe(nilanga.jayasinghe@wwfus.org)

1. Background…………………………………………………………………………….…….…………………………..……..….…….2

2. ConservationActivities………………………..…………………………………………………………………………....………2

3. BestPractices………………………….………..…………..…………………………………………………………….…………….3

3.1. Engaginglocalcommunitiesandaddressinghuman-wildlifeconflict…………………………….……..…….3

3.2. Managinghabitatandprey…………………………………………………………………………………………..……..…….5

3.3. Combattingpoachingandillegaltrade………………………………………………………………………………..…….7

3.4. Transboundarymanagementandenforcement………………………………………………………..………….……9

3.5. Engagingindustry…………………………………………………….………………….…………….……............................9

3.6. Buildingcapacityandenhancingconservationpoliciesandinstitutions……………..……..……….…….10

3.7. Researchandmonitoring………….………………………….……………………………………………………...………….10

3.8. Buildingawareness………….…………………………..……………………………………………………………...………….12

4. Summary….……………………………….……………………………………………….……………………………...…………….13

2

1. BackgroundThegoalofGSLEP(GlobalSnowLeopard&EcosystemProtectionProgram)isforthe12snowleopardrangecountries,withsupportfrompartnerorganizations,toworktogethertoidentifyandsecure20snowleopardlandscapesacrossthebigcat’srangeby2020,or,inshorthand–“Secure20by2020”.

“Secure”snowleopardlandscapesaredefinedasthosethat:

1. Containatleast100breedingagesnowleopardsconservedwiththeinvolvementoflocalcommunities

2. Supportadequateandsecurepreypopulations3. Havefunctionalconnectivitytoothersnowleopardlandscapes,someofwhichcross

internationalboundaries.

“Secure20by2020”servesasthefoundationoftheultimategoalofensuringthatsnowleopardsremainthelivingiconofAsia’smountainsforgenerationstocome.

2. ConservationActivities“Secure20by2020”willbeachievedthroughconcreteprojectactivitiesthatcanbegroupedunderbroadthemescorrespondingtothecommitmentsoftheBishkekDeclaration[http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/eca/Bishkek-Declaration-on-the-Conservation-of-Snow-Leopards.pdf].Theseactivitiesinclude:

1. Engaginglocalcommunitiesinconservation,includingpromotingsustainablelivelihoods,andaddressinghuman-wildlifeconflict;

2. Managinghabitatandpreybaseduponmonitoringandevaluationofpopulationsandrangeareas;

3. Combattingpoachingandillegaltrade;4. Transboundarymanagementandenforcement;5. Engagingindustry;6. Buildingcapacityandenhancingconservationpoliciesandinstitutions;7. Researchandmonitoring;and8. Buildingawareness

Thefirstfiveactivitiesaredirectimpactactivities,thosewhosesuccessfulcompletionwillincreaseormaintainsnowleopardandpreynumbers(orotherappropriatemeasuressuchasdensityoroccupancy)and/orprotectorrestorehabitatandconnectivityamongpopulations.

Thelastthreeactivitiesareenablingactivities,thosethatcreatetheconditionsforsuccessfullyperformingorimprovingtheperformanceofthedirectimpactactivities.Forexample,buildingcapacityenablesimprovedeffortstocombatpoaching,whilebuildingawarenessenablesstrongerpublic,political,andfinancialsupportforalldirectimpactactivities.

3

3. BestPracticesPracticesthathaveprovensuccessfulinoneormorerangecountriesarebeingscaledupinthosecountriesandemulatedinothers.Forexample,programstoincreasecommunityparticipationinconservation,improvelivelihoods,andaddresshuman-wildlifeconflicthavebeentestedinseveralcountrieswithverypromisingresultsincludingreductionsinpoachingofsnowleopardsandincreasedwillingnesstoco-existwiththepredators.Creationofanti-poachingteamsandstiffpenaltiesforpoachinghavealsoproveneffective.Effectivescientificmonitoringprogramsarebeingconductedinseveralcountriesandtheirmethodscanbereadilyapplied,withadaptationasnecessary,inothers.Regardingotherconservationactivities,suchasengagingindustry,capacitybuilding,policyenhancementandawarenessbuilding,successfulmodelsareavailablefromotherpartsofthedevelopinganddevelopedworld.

Photo1.AyoungsnowleopardshowsoffitscamouflagecoatinanaridlandscapeinIndia'sSpitiValley.PhotoCredit:NatureConservationFoundation/SnowLeopardTrust

Wehavecompiledalistofactivitiesfromacrossthesnowleopard’srangethatserveasgoodpracticesthatcanbeadaptedandincorporatedintoyourlandscapemanagementplans.Thesebestpracticesareorganizedbytheconservationactivitieslistedabove.

3.1 Engaginglocalcommunitiesandaddressinghuman-wildlifeconflict

Enhancetheroleoflocalcommunitiesinsnowleopardconservationeffortsbyadoptingandimplementingpoliciesandlawsthatfavorcommunityinvolvementinconservation,promotingenvironmentallysustainableeconomicactivitiesthatdirectlybenefitlocallivelihoods,andsupportingcommunity-basedprogramstomitigatehuman-wildlifeconflict.

Reducingandoffsettingeconomiclossesduetohuman-wildlifeconflictandmakingwildlifeconservationbeneficialforlocalcommunitiesisacoreprincipleofsnowleopardconservation.Amongthespecific

4

activitiesbywhichmanycountriesplantoaddressthisprinciplearelivestockinsuranceschemestoprovidecompensationforlosses,improvedpredator-prooflivestockcorralsandimprovedherdingpractices.Thesepracticesandotherssuchaslivestockvaccinationscanbeemulatedandscaledup.

Engaginglocalcommunitiesandaddressinghuman-wildlifeconflictCountry GoodPractices BriefResults

Afghanistan Formationofthecommunity-basedWakhanPamirAssociation(WPA)tooverseesustainablenaturalresourcemanagementandeconomicdevelopment.Activitiesincludeapatrollingprogram(65communityrangersplus10governmentrangers)andacomprehensiveEnvironmentalEducationProgramthatreachesall15schoolsinWakhanandhasafocusonsnowleopardconservationinitiatives.

Patrollingprogramledtofewinstancesofunreportedwildlifecrime

China Mostofcommunityconservationprojectsareundertakenbynaturereserves,includingpubliceducationevents,establishmentofhotlineforcollectionofinformationfromlocalpeople,employinglocalpeopletoparticipateinfieldpatrolsandinvestigations,meetingwithrepresentativestoaddressexistingconflicts,andresearchoneco-friendlylivelihoodsforlocalcommunities.Also,localwildlifeauthoritiesundertakecompensationforlossescausedbysnowleopards.

Significantlyimprovedlaw-enforcementeffectivenesswithmoreinformationcomingfromlocalpeopleanddecreasedrevengekillingofsnowleopardswhenlocalpeopletendtoreporttolocalwildlifeauthoritiestheirlossescausedbysnowleopards.

Nepal,India(Ladakh),Pakistan,Russia

Corralpredator-proofing.Predator-proofmostvulnerablecommunally-utilizedcorralsthatserve10-30+households;2-5structurespersettlementinprovendepredationhotspots.Ensurewire-meshoverroof,securewoodendoor,barredwindows.

Depredationlossesfromwithincorralseliminated,resultinginimprovedperceptionsbylivestockownersandprotectionof5+snowleopardsfromrisksofretributivepoisoningortrapping.Notablyincreasedwillingnessofcommunitytoco-existwithsnowleopards.

Pakistan Communally-manageddaytimeshepherdingofvulnerablelivestockinKhunjerabNP.Herdersinvestsharedresourcesthroughfixed-feepaymentorhouseholdrotationsystem.

Communalherdingbetterallowsforpasturestoberotated,thushelpingreducepredationriskandlowergrazingimpacts.

Pakistan Vaccinationandlivestockinsurance.15villages,30,000headsoflivestockvaccinatedin2013.

Controlledtheoutbreakofpoxintwoprojectvalleys,reducingmortalityratetozerofrompox.

Pakistan InBaltistan,communally-managedandco-financedlivestockinsurancescheme.Fundsforcompensationcontributedon50:50basisbyvillagers(throughperanimalfees)andsponsoringNGO(conditionalgrant).

Greatlyincreasedtoleranceofsnowleopards,especiallyifcomplementedbyincome-generatinginitiativesuchasmarkhortrophyhuntingprogramortourisminitiative

Russia WesternTuva–protectinglivestockcorralsfromsnowleopardsinUbsunurskayKotlovinaNR.Morethan70herdersinTuvaRepublicweretrainedinthesimplestmeansofstrengtheningcorralswiththeuseof

SincethentherehasnotbeenasinglecaseofasnowleopardgainingaccesstoacorralinwesternTuva(beforethis56%ofalllivestockkilledbysnowleopardsinwesternTuvadiedincorrals).Asaresultofthisproject,the

5

metalmesh,andmorethan40corralswereprotectedfromsnowleopardsinMongun-TaigaandBai-TaigadistrictsofTyvaRepublic(about1,500-2,000km2).

numberofsnowleopardssouth-westernTuvaincreasedfrom10-12upto15-20individuals.

3.2Managinghabitatandprey

Intensifyconservationeffortswithinlargelandscapesbyidentifyinganddesignatingcriticalhabitatsofkeysnowleopardpopulationsasno-goareasfordestructivelanduses,maintainingtheirconnectivitythroughnaturalcorridors,andstrengtheningtheiron-the-groundprotection.Alandscape-levelapproachtosnowleopardconservationthatincludesPAsandnon-protectedlandsaswellastransboundarylandscapesisvital.

Specificactivitiesformanaginghabitatandpreyincludedevelopingmanagementplansformodellandscapes,creatingnewPAsandidentifyingcorridorsthatlinkhabitatandPAs.Forexample,returninggrazinglandtonaturalgrasslandhasledtograsslandrecoveryandpreyincreasesinthesnowleopardrangeinChina,whilenewPAsinKazakhstanhavereducedhumanpressureonhabitat,createdlocaljobsandreducedpoaching.

Photo2.TheUkokPlateauNaturalPark,RepublicofAltai,apartoftheUNESCOWorldHeritageSite.Itprovidescriticalhabitatforthesnowleopardandmanyotherendangeredspecies©DenisBogomolov/WWF-Russia

Managinghabitatandprey

Country GoodPractices BriefResultsBhutan Country-widesystemofbiologicalcorridors

connectingPAsContiguoussnowleopardhabitatofasmuchas10,000km2.

6

China 26naturereservesestablishedcoveringabout50%ofrangeareasofsnowleopardpopulations;large-scaleprogramtoreturngrazingareastonaturalgrasslandsimplementedaroundrangeareasofsnowleopardpopulations;researchonmeasurestominimizenegativeimpactsforconnectingfragmentedhabitatsstarted.

Mostofthecoreareasforsnowleopardshavebeenunderlegalandactuallyeffectiveprotectionwhilerecoveryofnaturalgrasslandecosystemsandincreaseofpreyresourcesoccurredinmanyformergrazingareas.

Kazakhstan ForestandHuntingCommitteeestablishedsixnationalparksinsnowleopardhabitat.

Additionaljobsforlocalswerecreated,poachinghasconsiderablydecreased,andanthropogenicpressureonlandscapeshasdecreased;securityofsnowleopardecosystemshasimproved.

Mongolia TheTostLocalPAinMongoliacoversabout6,500km2-aquarterofwhichisgoodsnowleopardhabitat.Since1990smanynewPAswereestablishedinpotentialsnowleopardhabitats.

Basisforprotectionofcriticalsnowleopardlandscapesfromdestructivelandusessuchasmining,dams,andotherlarge-scaledevelopmentprojects.Today,20statePAs,whichcoverkeyhabitatsinMongolia,harborsnowleopards.

Russia SailugemskyNationalPark(800km2)wasestablishedin2010inkeysnowleopardhabitatsinArgutRiverWatershed,AltaiRepublic.

Protectionofsnowleopardhabitats;fightingsnarepoachinginkeysnowleopardhabitatsinArgutarea.

Tajikistan Establishingand/orsupportingmodelcommunityandprivatewildlifemanagementandhuntingareas.

Doublingofibexnumberswithinfouryearsandregularrecordsofsnowleopards;increaseofmarkhor(intotal2012directlyobserved>1,000),regularsnowleopardobservations,stabilizationandlocalincreaseofMarcoPolosheepnumbers;cameratrappinghasshownhighersnowleopardabundanceinmanagedhuntingconcessionthaninunassignedareasdespiteformalhuntingbaninthese.

India Maintaincommunity-managedreservesthatrelyon‘socialfencing’tolimitorexcludelocaluseoftheareabasedonapositiveincentiveprogram.

TriedinSpiti(3sites)andLadakh(2sites)whererecoveryofprey(bharalandibexinSpiti;argaliandbharalinLadakh)hasbeenobserved.Similarcommunity-managedreserveshavealsobeensuccessfulinArunachalPradeshinTawang.TheMoEF’sProjectSnowLeopardsuggestsamosaicofsuchareasasanimportantapproachtoachievinglandscape-levelconservation.

India InaccessibleandnaturallywellprotectedsmallPAswithnegligibleornohumanuseandwellregulated,lowintensitycommunity-basedecotourisminsmallportionsofthePAsince1983.

TriedinNandaDeviandValleyofFlowersNationalParksthatbroughtremarkableimprovementinthestatusofwildlifeandtheirhabitats.ThesetwoNPsactascontrolsitesforlong-termmonitoringincludingclimatechangeimpacts.

India Conflictmitigationandreducingantagonismandretaliatorykillingofsnowleopard.CorralImprovement:ca.4,250livestock;Insurance:over180householdswithca.600

CorralImprovement:Almosttotaleliminationoflosses.Insurance:Reductioninlosses.Monetarycompensationoflosses:Slight

7

livestock,overallareaofover1,000km2.Compensation:directcompensationforlivestocklostat10%ofthemarketpriceoftheanimal.

improvementseeninattitudesofpeopleinabout10years.

3.3Combattingpoachingandillegaltrade

Combatpoaching,illegaltrade,andotherwildlifecrimesbystrengtheninglawenforcement,collaborationamongcountriesandinternationalagreements/networks,anddevelopingeffectivemechanismsforeliminatingtheillicitdemandforillegalwildlifeproducts.

Specificactivitiesincludebuildinglaw-enforcementcapacitythroughtrainingandequipment,buildingcommunityanti-poachingnetworks,andstrengtheninglegislationandeducationtoreduceillicitdemand.Severalgoodpracticesshowhowincreasedlawenforcementandstrongpenaltiesforpoachingandcommunityanti-poachingnetworksandothermeansofengaginglocalcommunitiescanreducepoaching.

CombattingpoachingandillegaltradeCountry GoodPractices BriefResults

Afghanistan Outreach,education,communitygovernancebuilding,andtraininganddeploymentof55communityrangersacross11,000km2tomonitorsnowleopardsandotherwildlife,enforceanti-poachingregulations;buildingofpredator-proofcorralstominimizeconflictandretaliatorykilling.

Snowleopardeducationintiativesin14of15schoolsinWakhan;over5,000cameratrapphotostakenbycommunityrangers;fivesnowleopardscaptured,collared,andmonitoredwithcommunityinvolvement;declinesinpoachingofsnowleopardsandprey;over20corralsbuiltandnolivestocklossinfamiliesusingthem.

Afghanistan Surveyidentifiedinternationalcommmunity(developmentandmilitary)asdriveroftrade;focusedoutreachaimedatdevelopmentcommunity;trainingatmilitarybasesonillegalityoftrade;governmentstafftrainedinCITESregulationsandtheprocessingofCITESpermits;traininginenvironmentallaws,wildlifetrade,andprotectedspeciesgivento19policestationsinandaroundKabul.

Removalofillegaltradeitemsfrombasebazaars;trainingexpandedtomilitarybasesandacademiesinUStoeducatemilitarybeforedeployment.

China Chineselawslistsnowleopardasaspeciesundernationalkeyprotectionatfirstlevelandprohibithuntingofthespeciesexceptforpurposesofscientificresearch,publiceducation,publicsecurity.Utilizationofsnowleopardsmustbeapprovedwithspecialpermitswhilenopermitsarenowissuedforcommercialpurposes.Severepunishmentsfromhighpenalties(10timesincome)uptolifeinprisonhavebeensetbylawsandregulationsonillegalactivitiesincludingpoaching,illegaltrade,etc.Authoritiesofforestry,publicsecurity,customs,commercialandindustry

CurrentlyinChina,noevidenceindicatestheexistenceoforganizedpoachingthattargetssnowleopardproducts.Also,therearenolegalindustriesusingsnowleopardfurorboneforcommercialpurposes.Casesofpoachingandillegaltradeoccuroccasionallyandarrestedoffendershavebeensentencedandpunished.Especiallysince2011,illegalactivitiesconcerningsnowleopardshaveclearlydecreased.

8

administrationarelegallyresponsibleforlegalinvestigationandlawenforcementontheaboveillegalactivities.Mechanismforgovernmentalagenciestocoordinatelawenforcementestablishedin2011.

Kazakhstan Reducingpoachingthroughsubstantialincreaseofpenalties.Penaltiesforpoachingasnowleopard(US$22,724)andall5subspeciesofmountainrams(US$17,043).Totalbanontheirhunting.

Poachingofsnowleopardsandotherrarespecies.hasdecreased.NocasesofsnowleopardspoachinginKazakhstanreportedsince.

KyrgyzRepublic

GruppaBars(brigade)foranti-poaching.RaidsagainstpoachersinallregionsoftheKyrgyzRepublic,especiallyinthenorth.InNarynregion,35,000km2,andinIssyk-Kulregion,25,000km2,arecoveredbytheteam,togetherwithStateinspection.

Reducingtheofficialnoticeonthesaleofskinsofsnowleopards,etc.Atthemoment,theRehabilitationCenterhasonlyfivesnowleopards.

Mongolia Twointer-agencyirbis(snowleopard)anti-poachingteamswereestablishedinwesternMongoliatoconductregularpatrollinginsnowleopardhabitat.

Asaresult,thenumberofpoachingincidentsin5westernprovinces,inkeysnowleopardhabitatsdecreasedrapidly.

Pakistan Reducepoachingthroughlivestockvaccinationprograms.3-5livestockdieofdiseaseforeveryonekilledbyawildpredator,i.e.,theeconomiclosstodiseaseismuchlargerthantopredation.Morethan90,000livestockvaccinatedin2012.

70-100%reductioninlivestockmortalities.Increasedcashincomebysellingmorelivestock.Increasedmeatconsumptioninthecommunity.Increasedtoleranceforsnowleopard.Reducedrisksofdiseasesinwildlife.

Russia Inter-agencyanti-poachingbrigadesandregularsnareremovalcampaignsinkeysnowleopardhabitats.TwobrigadeswereestablishedinAltaiandSayanMountains.Theyregularlypatrol1,500km2ofkeysnowleopardhabitatsinArgutRiverWatershed,AltaiRepublic,andSayano-ShushenskyNRanditsbufferzone,KrasnoyarskyKray

NumberofpoachersnaresinkeysnowleopardhabitatsinSayano-ShushenskyNRdecreasedfrom800-900tozerobetween2008and2013.InArgutarea,numberofsnaresinkeysnowleopardhabitatsdecreasedfrom500-800(2008)to50-100(2013).

Russia Developmentofsmallbusinessprogramforlocalcommunitiesinsnowleopardhabitatsasalternativetosnarepoaching.TwodistrictsofAltaiRepublic:Kosh-AgachandUlaganDistricts,includingpartsofOngudayandUst-Koksadistricts(totalareaabout20,000km2).Annually,500-700peopleareinvolvedintheprogram.

Numberofpoachingcasesintheareaofactivitiesdecreasedbyatleast20%incomparisonwith2010.Over1,200low-incomepeopletrained,over70peopleobtainedmicro-loansandgrantsandstartedtheirownbiodiversityfriendlybusiness.Morethan200newjobsforlocalcommunitieswereestablished.

Russia AltaiandTuvaRepublics–LandofSnowLeopardFestivals.Schoolsof5districtsinAltaiRepublicand4districtsofTuvaRepublic(1,500-2,000people)annuallyareinvolvedinthesefestivals.

Numberoffestivalparticipantsincreasedfrom70in2010to2,000in2012.FestivalbecametraditionaleventinAltaiandTyvaRepublicsandinvolvesmanykidslivinginsnowleopardhabitatstolearnmoreaboutvalueofsnowleopards.

9

3.4Transboundarymanagementandenforcement

Increasebilateralandregionalcooperationforsnowleopardconservationintransboundarylandscapes.Thisisacoreprincipleofsnowleopardconservationgiventheextenttowhichsnowleopardhabitatabutsnationalbordersandtheimportanceofmaintaininglargelandscapes.

Manytransboundaryinitiativesamongsnowleopardcountriesareinvariousstagesofimplementationalready.Moreover,compendiaofgoodpracticesintransboundarycooperation,especiallymanagementoftransboundaryPAs,areavailable;somesnowleopardcountrieshavealsobeenpursuingtransboundarymanagementandenforcementfortigerlandscapes,whichcanpotentiallybescaledupforsnowleopardconservation.

Photo3.WWFsnowleopardanti-poachingunitintheAltanKhokkirange,KharUsNuurNationalPark,MongolianAltai,Mongolia©HartmutJungius/WWF

3.5Engagingindustry

Ensurethatindustry,infrastructure,andruraldevelopmentprogramsandprojectsarefullysensitivetotheconservationneedsofsnowleopardsandtheirecosystems,donotadverselyaffectorfragmentkeypopulationsorcriticalhabitats,andemploywildlife-friendlydesignandmitigation.

EngagingindustryCountry GoodPractices BriefResults

Mongolia TheNatureConservancyassessedminingimpactforthesouthernMongolianecoregion,usingindicatorspecies.

Recommendedareasforbetterprotection.

10

3.6Buildingcapacityandenhancingconservationpoliciesandinstitutions

Significantlystrengthenthecapacityofpolicy-makers,front-linemanagers,communityleaders,andcivilsocietyforcommunity-basedconservation,effectivelawenforcement,andlandscapemanagementthroughsupportingknowledgeexchange,communitiesofpractice,andcooperationamongstakeholders.

Manyspecificcapacitybuildingactivitiesarerelatedtostrengtheningconservation-relatedlegislationandpoliciesthroughbuildingawarenessamonggovernmentleadersandconservationdepartmentstaff.

BuildingcapacityandenhancingconservationpoliciesandinstitutionsCountry GoodPractices BriefResults

China SnowleopardhasbeenlistedasapriorityspeciesforsalvationintheNational12thFiveYearPlanofForestryDevelopmentandNationalProgramforWildlifeConservationandNatureReserveDevelopmentwhileaspecialplanforprotectionofsnowleopardpopulationsandtheirhabitatsisunderwayforpublicationandimplementation.

Investmentinsnowleopardconservationhasbeenincreasedgraduallyandobviousgrowthcanbeexpectedinthenottoodistantfuture.Also,moreattentionhasbeenpaidtothespeciesatconcerned,differentlevels.

India Initiatedstate-federalpartnershipProjectSnowLeopard(PSL).ProjectSnowLeopardeffectivelycoversfivestates,ca.130,000km2,innumerablevillagesandhouseholds.TheUpperSpitiLandscapeManagementPlanunderthePSLcoversca.4,000km2,ca.40villages,andca.7,000people.

Positivenumericchangesinwildlifenumbersandpeople’sattitudesinafewyears’timeareexpected.

3.7Researchandmonitoring

Evaluateandmapcurrentstatusofkeysnowleopardhabitatsandpopulations,setbaselinesagainstwhichtoassessfuturechange,conducteconomicvaluationofsnowleopardhabitats,andintensifyscientificresearchandmonitoringtoinformfuturepolicyandaction.

Allsnowleopardcountriescurrentlyhaveatleastsomelevelofresearchandmonitoringtakingplace,mostimportantlytosetbaselinesagainstwhichtomeasureconservationprogressandtoadaptconservationplanningandmanagementasneeded.Topicsofplannedresearchactivitiesincludebutarenotlimitedtomovementecologyofsnowleopardsandprey,climatechangeimpacts,populationdynamics,anddisease.

11

Photo4.SnowleopardscratchtracesinYamaatvalleyinTurgenMountainsStrictlyProtectedArea.UvsProvince,Mongolia©AntonVorauer/WWF

ResearchandmonitoringCountry GoodPractices BriefResults

Afghanistan WakhanCorridor–ongoingcamera-trapsurveysofsnowleopards;studyofsnowleopardprey;depredationsurvey;trackingofsnowleopardsusingGPScollars,coupledwithcameratrapping.

Betterunderstandingofsnowleopardmovement,habitatuse,homerange,andeventuallypopulationestimation.

China Centralwildlifeauthorityarrangedfundingespeciallyformonitoringandresearchonsnowleopards,andappointedachiefexperttoleadtheprojectwhoholdstrainingcoursesforlocalstafftoundertakefieldmonitoringorconvenesmeetingstocollectinformation,analyzeexistingproblems,anddiscussactivitiesfornextstepseachyear.

Helpwildlifeauthoritytobetterunderstandthesituationofsnowleopardpopulations,habitats,andexistingthreats.

India Understandsnowleopardabundancealongagradientofpreybiomass(Spiti).Understandingsnowleoparddietsalongagradientofdomesticandwildpreyratios(Spiti).

Questionssuchas‘doesincreasingpreybiomassleadtohighersnowleopardabundance?’;‘doesincreasinglivestockbiomassleadtoincreasedsnowleopardabundanceorisittheopposite?’;‘willconflictsincreasewithincreasinglivestockabundance?’willbeanswered.Thesestudies,thatusecamera-trapbasedandmoleculartools,areprovidingestimatesofsnowleopardassessmentsoverlargelandscapes(ca.2,000km2).EstimatedabundanceinSpitiaverages0.64/100km2.

12

India Numerousstudiestounderstandpatternsofconflictsbetweenlocalcommunitiesandsnowleopardsindifferentpartsoftherange.

Thesestudiesprovidepatternsofconflicts,includingamountoflosses,vulnerablelivestock,vulnerableageclasses,vulnerablepastures,etc.Ultimatelytheyhelpindevelopingsoundmitigationstrategies.

India CameratrappingstudiesinLadakh,Uttarakhand,andSikkim.

Densityestimatesforsnowleopardandpreyspecies.

Kazakhstan Stateresearchprogram:theCommitteeonSciencehasstartedtofinancetheprogramofstudyingsnowleopardsattheZoologyInstituteinAlmaty,whichwasconfirmedbytheMinistryofEducationandSciencein2012.Nowthedeepsectoralanalysisoftheeconomyforworkingoutthefinalprojectofthe“GreenEconomy”Strategyisbeingcarriedout.

Increasedunderstandingofsnowleopardpopulationsandtheirhabitats.

Mongolia Threatreduction-basedplanningandmonitoringprotocoltomonitoreffectivenessofconservationprograms.Allvillagesinthelandscapeareincludedandallkeyareasofbiologicalsignificance:snowleopardhabitat,preybreedingandcalvingareas,andcorridors.

Abilitytoestablishbetterbaselinedataforsnowleopardsincludingpopulationabundance,density,andlifehistoryparameters;emergingorunaddressedthreatstosnowleopards;evaluationoftheabilityofourprogramstoaddress/reduce/manageexistingandongoingthreats.

Russia Monitoringofkeysnowleopardpopulation.AnnualmonitoringofkeysnowleopardmetapopulationsinArgutRiverWatershed,Chikhachev,Tsagan-ShibetuandWesternSayanRidgesontotalareaofabout1,500km2m.Since2012,startedsnowleopardmonitoringinEasternSayanMountains:TunkinskyRidge(about500km2).

Informationonsnowleoparddistributionandabundanceisannuallycollectedfor4keysnowleopardpopulationsinRussiatosupportconservationactions.

3.8Buildingawareness

Communicatetocitizensandvariousstakeholders,includinglocalcommunities,youth,differentbranchesandarmsofthegovernment,civilsociety,andtheprivatesectoraboutthevalueofsnowleopardsandtheirecosystem.Eachyear,awarenesseventscanbeheldaroundInternationalSnowLeopardDaywhichtakesplaceonOctober23rd.

BuildingawarenessCountry GoodPractices BriefResults

China SnowleopardhasbeenlistedasapriorityspeciesforsalvationinNational12th-5Year’sPlanofForestryDevelopmentandNationalProgramforWildlifeConservationandNatureReserveDevelopmentwhileaspecialplanforprotectionofsnowleopardpopulationsandtheirhabitatsisunderwayforpublicationandimplementation.

Investmentinsnowleopardconservationhasbeenincreasedgraduallyandobviousgrowthcanbeexpectedinthenottoodistantfuture.Also,moreattentionhasbeenpaidtothespeciesatconcerned,differentlevels.

13

India Initiatedstate-federalpartnershipProjectSnowLeopard(PSL).ProjectSnowLeopardeffectivelycoversfivestates,ca.130,000km2,innumerablevillagesandhouseholds.TheUpperSpitiLandscapeManagementPlanunderthePSLcoversca.4,000km2,ca.40villages,andca.7,000people.

Numericchangesinwildlifenumbersandpeople’sattitudesinafewyears’timeareexpected.

Photo5.ChildrenpreparingfortheSnowLeopardFestivalinAk-Shyrak,Kyrgyzstan©AndyIsaacson/WWF-US

4. Summary

Manygoodconservationactivitiesandpracticesarebeingimplementedacrosssnowleopardrange;however,theseactivitiescoveronlyasmallpercentageofthesnowleopard’smassivetotalrange.Majoropportunitiesexistforgrowthandscalability.Oneoftheprimarychallengesandopportunitiesforthesnowleopardconservationcommunitymovingforwardwillbetogainabetterunderstandingofwhichconservationactivitiesandcombinationsofconservationactivitiesaremosteffectiveandthusmostworthgrowingandscalingup.

Asyoudevelopyourlandscapemanagementplan,trytolearnasmuchasyoucanaboutthevariousconservationactivitiestakingplaceinotherpartsofsnowleopardrangeandseewhichactivitiesmightalsobebeneficialinyourlandscape.Theconservationactivitieslistedinthisdocumentareagoodplacetostartbutitissuggestedthatyoudofurtherresearchastherearemanyothersnowleopardconservationactivitiestakingplacethatarenotlistedhere.