The State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry of Kyrgyzstan has announced that the International Snow Leopard Conservation Forum will be held in the upcoming months (in September according to one source, and October according to another).
If any Snow Leopard Network member who is planning to attend could send through more information, that would be greatly appreciated.
More information:
After SLN Steering Committee member Sibylle Noras found a product claiming to contain snow leopard fur on the online shopping site etsy.com, pressure to stop offering endangered species products was exerted on Etsy by the Snow Leopard Trust, along with many other members of the SLN and the general public, using the online petition website care2.com. Etsy has now stopped offering these illegal and damaging products, even those that are supposedly “pre-ban.” Etsy is a leader in online shopping, and this change in policy represents a victory for conservation.
More information: http://www.care2.com/causes/victory-etsy-bans-endangered-animal-products.html
A study conducted by WCS and the Snow Leopard Trust and published in “Conservation Biology” shows that the increasing demand for cashmere is driving expansion of domestic goat populations, which is leading to conflict between pastoralists and predators in the region, including snow leopards.
SLN member Charudutt Mishra conducted the study with Joel Berger from the University of Montana and Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar of WCS Mongolia.
Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130724114002.htm
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112906654/cashmere-trade-threatens-wildlife-072513/
