Snow leopards are suffering from habitat loss caused by encroaching human population, development of infrastructure, roads, and mining (SLC FAQ, 2019). Livestock grazing also creates negative impacts on snow leopard habitat (Panthera Snow Leopard Threats, 2020). When livestock grazes it takes food away from the native animals and native snow leopard prey, which also creates prey depletion (Panthera Snow Leopard Threats, 2020).
Since the snow leopard has such a vast and large range they need both regional and international conservation efforts and protection (Ambrosini, 2019). Panthera identified seven large continuous habitat patches as global snow leopard Landscape Conservation Uni (LCUs) (Ambrosini, 2019). The Global Tiger Initiative’s Global Tiger recovery Program (GTRP) seemed to be successful so the Kyrgyz Republic created the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) in 2013 ( Li et al., 2020; SLWS, 2013). The GSLEP has participants from all twelve snow leopard range countries (Li et al., 2020; SLWS, 2013).
The Snow Leopard Conservancy focuses on snow leopard survival and conserving mountain landscapes (SLC Home, 2019). They currently work in eight of the twelve snow leopard range countries to help local communities with snow leopard education and to develop alternative incomes for the local people (SLC Our Projects, 2019). They are in Bhutan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Altai, and Buryatia Republics of Russia and Tajikistan (SLC Our Projects, 2019).
The image below is traditional Buddhist sacred art by Leslie Nguyen that shows two different images as one (SLC Threats, 2019). The top image shows the “Valley of Harmony” where community members protect their livestock, snow leopards and other wildlife while generating valuable household income (SLC Threats, 2019). The bottom image depicts the “Valley of Conflicts” where the community needs help in understanding the role snow leopards play in the ecosystem by improving livestock husbandry and benefiting from living in harmony with the environment (SLC Threats, 2019). The Snow Leopard Conservancy uses this artwork to engage local people in conservation planning and conservation action (SLC Threats, 2019).
Literature Cited
Ambrosini, A. (2019, January 6). New paper provides first-ever snow leopard systematic landscape conservation plan. https://www.panthera.org/new-paper-provides-first -ever-snow-leopard-systematic-landscape-conservation-plan
Li, J., Weckworth, B.V., McCarthy, T.M., Liang, X., Liu, Y., Xing, R., Li, D., Zhang, Y., Xue, Y.,
Jackson, R., Xiao, L., Cheng, C., Li, S., Xu, F., Ma, M., Yang, X., Diao, K., Gao, Y., Song, D.,...Beissinger, S.T. (2020). Defining priorities for global snow leopard conservation landscapes. Elsevier: Biological Conservation, 241 (108387). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108387
Nguyen, L. (N.D.). Valley of harmony and valley of conflicts [medium]. Snow Leopard
Conservancy. https://snowleopardconservancy.org/threats/
Panthera. (2020). Snow leopards: Threats facing the snow leopard.
Snow Leopard Conservancy. (2019). Frequently asked questions.
Snow Leopard Conservancy. (2019). Home. https://snowleopardconservancy.org/
Snow Leopard Conservancy. (2019). Our projects. https://snowleopardconservancy.org/projects/
Snow Leopard Conservancy. (2020, April 14). Snow leopards and dr Rodney Jackson [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng2_q0kMV0M
Snow Leopard Conservancy. (2019). Threats. https://snowleopardconservancy.org/threats/
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