Month: February 2024

SLN Webinar: Empowering Communities for Snow Leopard Conservation with CRAs

Join us for our upcoming webinar that highlights the importance of community-led conservation in safeguarding the snow leopard and its habitat. Through generations, local communities and indigenous people have played a crucial role in preserving the environment, and their traditional practices and knowledge can greatly contribute to the protection of natural resources and biodiversity. This webinar will delve into community-based approaches to conservation and showcase the Community Responsible Area (CRA) model being implemented in Mongolia. By exploring this model, we can explore strategies to protect threatened species such as the snow leopard while also supporting sustainable livelihoods for local people. We are thrilled to have Dr. Tserennadmid Nadia Mijiddorj as our guest speaker, sharing her invaluable insights and experiences from her work with the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia. Justine Shanti Alexander, WCS – Mongolia program, will join us as our Discussant and Bayarjargal Agvaantseren, our Executive Director will be our Facilitator.

About the Talk

The upcoming webinar focuses on an innovative approach to conserving the natural resources of Mongolia and protecting its wildlife, including the elusive snow leopard. Since 2009, the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation has been working to secure the legal rights of communities to manage their pastoral land and sustainably use its resources. This involves mapping and delineating Community Responsible Areas (CRAs) based on traditional resource use and grazing patterns. The CRAs are managed through local communities with legal entities, and their aim is to promote sustainable pasture management, secure legal land rights, and support livelihood-linked conservation activities. The webinar will showcase the progress made in implementing the CRA approach across Mongolia and share inspiring community stories that demonstrate the approach’s effectiveness.

About our Guest

We are honored to have Dr. Tserennadmid Nadia Mijiddorj as our guest speaker for this upcoming webinar. Nadia has been actively engaged in snow leopard conservation projects since 2002, and her passion for ecology and the environment has been a driving force in her career. Her research interests lie in understanding how herding communities interact with mountain rangeland ecosystems, and how these interactions can inform conservation efforts in the region. In addition to her work on snow leopard conservation, Nadia recently completed her Ph.D. on the topic of “Climate change impacts on Gobi rangeland and herding communities in South Gobi Mongolia”. 

About Our Discussant:

Actively involved in wildlife conservation efforts for a diverse range of species in Mongolia, Justine Shanti Alexander serves as the Country Director for WCS. With a Ph.D. from Beijing Forestry University, earned in 2015, she specialized in snow leopard conservation in Central China. Formerly, she held roles as the Senior Conservation Scientist for the Snow Leopard Trust and Executive Director of the Snow Leopard Network.

Since 2016, Justine has been contributing to conservation in Mongolia, expanding her focus beyond snow leopards to various species. Her approach involves integrating policy development, community conservation, and scientific research for effective landscape-level action. Justine emphasizes collaboration, believing in the power of partnerships to maximize impact.

About our Facilitator:

Bayarjargal Agvaantseren, Executive Director of the Snow Leopard Network.  Bayara is the former Director of the Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia, and she currently contributes to the Snow Leopard Trust’s regional team. Bayara’s dedication to snow leopards and their conservation in the wild spans back to 1998, and her many accomplishments include – setting up community-based programs back in the early 2000s to elevating the status of protection of snow leopard habitat in the South Gobi.

Date/Time

Thursday, 07th March at 14:00pm Bishkek time

Location

ZOOM, to join this talk, REGISTER HERE

Please note

  • If you have never used Zoom before, we recommend that you try the link 10 minutes before the start of the lecture.
  • Please feel free to write questions in the comment area and there will be time for questions/discussion at the end of the talk.
  • Please note that the session will be recorded and later featured on the SLN website. If you have concerns about this please let us know before the session.

 

New Article to the Bibliography

 

Please find details below of a new article added to our Bibliography:

Title: Co-designing conservation interventions through participatory action research in the Indian Trans-Himalaya

Author: Khanyari, M., Dorjay, R., Lobzang, S. Bijoor, A., Suryawanshi, K.

Abstract: 1. Community-based conservation, despite being more inclusive than fortress con- servation, has been criticized for being a top-down implementation of external ideas brought to local communities for conservation’s benefit. This is particularly true for Changpas, the pastoral people of Changthang in trans-Himalayan India who live alongside unique wildlife.
2. Our main aim was to co-design conservation interventions through participatory action research. We worked with two Changpa communities, to understand the issues faced by them. Subsequently, we co-designed context-sensitive interventions to facilitate positive human–nature interactions. We did so by integrating the PARTNERS (Presence, Aptness, Respect, Transparency, Empathy, Responsiveness, Strategic Support) principles with the Trinity of Voice (Access, Standing and Influence).
3. In Rupsho, we facilitated focus group discussions (FGDs) led by the community. We found livestock depredation by wildlife was primarily facilitated by the weather. This led to co-designing of a new corral design, which was piloted with seven households, safeguarding 2385 pashmina goats and sheep. Approximating the value of each sheep/goat to be USD125, this intervention amounts to a significant economic protection of USD c. 42,500 for each household. This is along with intangible gains of trust, ownership and improved self-esteem.
4. In Tegazong, a restricted area adjoining the Indo-China border with no previous research records, we worked with 43 Changpa people to co-create research questions of mutual interest. Wildlife presence and reasons for livestock loss were identified as areas of mutual interest. The herders suggested they would record data in a form of their choice, for 6 months, while they live in their winter pastures. This participatory community monitoring revealed nutrition and hypothermia to be a key cause of livestock death. Subsequently, we delimited two previously untested interventions: lamb cribs and provisioning of locally sourced barley as a feed supplement. The wildlife monitoring recorded the first record of Tibetan Gazelle Procapra picticuadata, outside of their known distribution, in Tegazong.
5. We aim to highlight the benefits of co-designing projects with local communities that link research and conservation, while also discussing the challenges faced. Ultimately, such projects are needed to ensure ethical knowledge generation and conservation, which aims to be decolonial and inclusive.

URL: https://snowleopardnetwork.org/b/show.php?record=1743

New Article to the Bibliography

 

Please find details below of a new article added to our Bibliography:

Title: Natal dispersal and exploratory forays through atypical habitat in the mountain-bound snow leopard

Author: Johansson, O., Alexander, J. S., Lkhagvajav, P., Mishra, C., Samelius, G.

Abstract: Understanding how landscapes affect animal movements is key to effective conservation and management (Rudnick et al., 2012; Zeller et al., 2012). Movement defines animal home ranges, where animals generally access resources such as food and mates, and also their dispersal and exploratory forays. These movements are important for individual survival and fitness through genetic exchange within and between populations and for colonization of unoccupied habitats (Baguette et al., 2013; MacArthur & Wilson, 1967). Dispersal and exploratory movements typically occur when young animals leave their natal range and establish more permanent home ranges (Greenwood, 1980; Howard, 1960). In mammals, natal dispersal of males is usually more frequent and happens over greater distances compared with that of females (Clobert et al., 2001; Greenwood, 1980).

URL: https://snowleopardnetwork.org/b/show.php?record=1742

SLN Webinar: What’s behind a Snow Leopards Spots? A One Health Approach to investigate emerging disease in the iconic Snow Leopard-Panthera uncia

 

Welcome to our first Webinar of 2024 in which we are happy to host Dr. Carol Esson.

About the Talk: 

In this talk today, Carol will be presenting the key questions and outcomes of her PhD research project on Snow Leopards in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia.

Emerging wildlife diseases are a growing concern across the world.  They have wide-spread and diverse ramifications, including effects on and interactions between, endangered species, production animals, human health and livelihoods (Smith et al. 2009).  In the future, successful disease control will have to reach across the traditional boundaries of conservation, human health and production animal diseases to achieve integrated disease assessment and control programs.

A One Health Approach was utilised to investigate disease threats to an endangered species in a remote location. Carol will talk about the rationale behind the research project design, the techniques used, the analysis and outcomes and how the results should lead to an improved understanding of how we can manage these populations from any future disease threats. These techniques we employ will be able to be extrapolated to other threatened species in remote locations.

About our Speaker:

Dr. Carol Esson graduated from the University of Sydney in 1987 with Honours in Zoology.  From there she worked on several conservation projects within Australia looking at Koala nutrition, Yellow footed rock Wallabies and several other species of Australian wildlife..

Carol went back to university and completed her Veterinary Science degree in 1991- her aim was always to combine her zoology/ecology degree with Vet science as she was/is always passionate about conservation and investigating disease in wildlife.  Carol wanted to contribute, in a hands on approach, to help understand and protect populations of the many threatened species on our planet.

Carol has worked for many years both in a veterinary clinic to maintain her surgical and diagnostic skills, wildlife parks within Australia and as the field vet on several research projects both within Australia and overseas on a large variety of species. Also on a voluntary basis to increase her experience with as many species as possible.

Carol completed her Masters of Wildlife and Conservation Medicine in 1998- her research thesis looked at haematology and biochemistry in the Norther Quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus).

In 2011, Carol volunteered with the Snow Leopard Trust to help with an ecological study, It was such an amazing place in the Gobi Desert and the need for a disease study involving the snow leopards was obvious. In 2012, Carol started a pilot study and in 2013 it became the basis of her PhD.

Dr. Carol Esson continues to work as much as possible on research projects for threatened and endangered species and treating native Australian wildlife.

About our Discussant:

Dr. Muhammad Ali Nawaz holds a PhD in Ecology and Natural Resource Management, with 25 years of experience in the field of wildlife research and conservation. His research primarily focuses on understanding the ecology, and conservation issues of threatened species. Dr. Nawaz employs both field and molecular techniques to gain insights into the distribution patterns of species, the factors that influence their occupancy and niches, and their conservation issues. 

Dr. Nawaz has published 70 peer-reviewed papers, five book chapters, and several management-oriented reports. His scientific work has been presented in 40 national and international conferences, and his contributions have been recognized with two international awards from the scientific community. In addition, he has provided guidance in the management planning of various protected areas, conducted capacity building activities for wildlife departments, and undertaken over 60 environmental assessment projects for the development sector.

About our Facilitator:

Sibylle Noras has been interested in snow leopards and their habitat since years of trekking in the Himalayas. With her media and communications background she started a snow leopard blog in 2008 to help spread the message of challenges faced by the species as well as the community conservation efforts by peoples sharing their habitat. 

 

Sibylle was on the Snow Leopard Network Steering Committee from 2012 to 2018.  She co-authored the chapter “Sharing the Conservation Message” in the book, “Snow Leopards: Biodiversity of the World”.

Living on the southern coast of Australia, Sibylle now also supports wildlife conservation efforts and environmental awareness in her home community.

Date/Time

Thursday, 29th February at 14:00pm Bishkek time

Location

ZOOM, to join this talk, REGISTER HERE

Please note

  • If you have never used Zoom before, we recommend that you try the link 10 minutes before the start of the lecture.
  • Please feel free to write questions in the comment area and there will be time for questions/discussion at the end of the talk.
  • Please note that the session will be recorded and later featured on the SLN website. If you have concerns about this please let us know before the session.