Abstract: This report outlines the conservation and education actions undertaken in 2001 by the Snow Leopard Conservancy(SLC) toward preserving the endangered snow leopard, which is found in the mountains of twelve Central Asian countries. We augmented our program in Ladakh, India and launched new projects in Nepal and Tibet. We also laid the ground work for new community-based snow leopard conservation initiatives in Nepal's former Kingdom of Mustang,and in Manang, the country's most frequented trekking region after Mt. Everest.

Abstract: Livestock depredation has become a significant problem across the snow leopard's (Panthera uncia) range in Central Asia, being most severe in and near protected areas. Such predation, especially incidents of “surplus killing,” in which five to 100 or more sheep and goats are lost in a single night, almost inevitably leads herders to retaliate by killing rare or endangered carnivores like snow leopard, wolf, and lynx. Ironically, such loss can be avoided by making the night-time enclosures predator-proof, improving animal husbandry techniques, educating herders on wildlife conservation and the importance of protecting the natural prey base, and by providing economic incentives like handicrafts skills training and marketing, along with carefully planned ecotourism trekking and guiding. The author explores innovative conservation initiatives in the Himalaya (Ladakh and Tibet) and Mongolia, which also build local capacity, self-reliance, and stewardship for nature using Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action, or APPA, techniques. The most sound conservation investments are those contingent upon establishing direct linkages with biodiversity protection, ensuring co-financing and reciprocal responsibility for project activities, encouraging the full participation of all stakeholders, and assuring regular monitoring and evaluation of the village-based agreements (embodied in Action Plans).

Abstract: Under this grant awarded by The Leonard X. Bosack and Bette M. Kruger Foundation through the auspices of Cat Action Treasury, SLC set out to accomplish the following outcomes in our Stewardship Program:
As of July 1, 2003 we completed the following major activities:
* Tested and compared different remote sensor and camera configurations to determine which is most reliable at “capturing” passing snow leopards;
* Investigated sampling strategies and camera trap placement with respect to snow leopard travel patterns and marking behavior;
* Compared different survey methods: direct (non-invasive capture of photos and DNA material contained in hairs), and indirect (sign transects and presence/absence surveys under the standard SLIMS protocol);
* Assessed the attitude of local people toward snow leopards, wolves and other wildlife as well as their perceptions of benefits and costs associated with the Hemis National Park, in order to craft more effective conservation and park management measures.
These activities mesh with SLC’s ongoing program of predator-proofing livestock corrals in settlements of the Hemis National Park, as well as outside protected areas (including Zanskar, Lingshed and Kanji. For each village’s corrals that are improved, we estimate that five or more snow leopards are saved from retaliatory killing by shepherds who lose valuable livestock.
Our program in assisting villagers to gain supplementary income from tourism-related activities is gaining strength, with trainings in 10 settlements this spring. SLC brought staff of KCC, the Khangchenjunga Conservation Committee, a local NGO based in Sikkim to assist in the skills training and to exchange ideas and experiences from other areas.
Following on from the groundwork laid during the first Bosack-Kruger grant to SLC, we launched a major initiative in collaboration with the Mountain Institute, the Himalayan Homestay program. Funding for this is being provided by UNESCO.
For further information on these and other snow leopard conservation efforts, see our newly designed web-page.
The following paragraphs summarize our accomplishments to date, supported by this grant. For detailed information, please consult the following reports, which are being mailed under separate cover:
1) “Local People’s Attitudes toward Wildlife Conservation in Hemis National Park with Special Reference to the Conservation of Large Predators” (prepared by Rodney Jackson, Rinchen Wangchuk and Jigmet Dadul)
2) “Non-Invasive Monitoring to Support Stewardship of Snow Leopards and Their Prey:
Evaluation of Remote Camera Traps for Censusing Snow Leopards” (prepared by Rodney Jackson and Jerry Roe).

Abstract: A survey was undertaken of selected parts of Sagarmatha National Park to determine whether snow leopard was present, using techniques developed during a recent in-depth study of the species in west Nepal, using radio-telemetry. Although the species was considered to have been extirpated from the park in the 1970's, occasional reports have originated from trekkers who reported “seeing a snow leopard near Mount Everest (Sagarmatha)”.

Abstract: The Annapurna Conservation Area was established in 1986 to manage environmental degradation. Its designation as a “conservation area,” as opposed to a “park,” was based on the World Wildlife Fund’s Integrated Conservation and Development approach. The goal was to maintain positive relations with indigenous people while protecting and conserving the area’s rich natural resources. The indigenous population was allowed to live in the designated area, and was also encouraged to take a partnership role in its management and sustainable development, in conjunction with the Annapurna Conservation Area Project management team. Though the Annapurna Conservation Area Project has achieved notable success in terms of both community development and protected area management, the focus on tourism (the area is Nepal’s most popular trekking destination) as the means to achieve the project’s development goals has led to a neglect of other stated goals, particularly wildlife conservation. The program lacks explicit linkages between wildlife conservation (e.g., the endangered snow leopard (Unica unica)) and community development, for example. This paper describes and analyzes how the project has handled snow leopard conservation. Alternative approaches for snow leopard conservation include coercive enforcement by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, persuasive environmental education and outreach, agricultural extension assistance, from monetary compensation for livestock killed to monetary rewards for information on snow leopard poaching. I recommend several alternatives to improve snow leopard conservation. First, establish stronger and more formal links between the Annapurna Conservation Area Project and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. The department has the legal authority to enforce the endangered species policy that protects snow leopards, but no physical presence within the conservation area. Second, agricultural outreach could provide the subsistence pastoralists with direct economic gains while reducing snow leopard depredation of livestock. This alternative fits well with the development philosophy of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project. Third, increase entrance fees, setting aside a portion for snow leopard conservation. This allows tourists, who value the snow leopard positively, to share in the cost of its conservation. Taken together, these alternatives will improve snow leopard conservation while maintaining the spirit and philosophy of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project.