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Dyikanova, C. (2004). A public awareness outreach programme on Snow Leopards for the Kyrgyz Republic, Final Report.
Abstract: The principle goal of the project was to raise awareness of local people, staff of frontier posts,
customs and foreign military base on snow leopard, and its conservation. In the framework of the
project the following steps were to be executed:
A) To disseminate printing materials: a booklet, poster, card and calendar.
b) To publish articles on snow leopard ecology and conservation issues and threats in
Kyrgyzstan regional newspapers (Issyk-Kul, Osh, and Chui areas)
C) To hold follow-up meeting with target groups
D) To evaluate project results
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Farrington, J. (2005). A Report on Protected Areas, Biodiversity, and Conservation in the Kyrgyzstan Tian Shan with Brief Notes on the Kyrgyzstan Pamir-Alai and the Tian Shan Mountains of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and China. Ph.D. thesis, , Kyrgyzstan.
Abstract: Kyrgyzstan is a land of towering mountains, glaciers, rushing streams, wildflowercovered meadows, forests, snow leopards, soaring eagles, and yurt-dwelling nomads. The entire nation lies astride the Tian Shan1, Chinese for “Heavenly Mountains”, one of the world's highest mountain ranges, which is 7439 m (24,400 ft) in elevation at its highest point. The nation is the second smallest of the former Soviet Central Asian republics. In
spite of Kyrgyzstan's diverse wildlife and stunning natural beauty, the nation remains little known, and, as yet, still on the frontier of international conservation efforts. The following report is the product of 12 months of research into the state of conservation and land-use in Kyrgyzstan. This effort was funded by the Fulbright Commission of the U.S. State Department, and represents the most recent findings of the author's personal environmental journey through Inner Asia, which began in 1999. When I first started my preliminary research for this project, I was extremely surprised to learn that, even though the Tian Shan Range has tremendous ecological significance for conservation efforts in middle Asia, there wasn't a single major international conservation organization with an office in the former Soviet Central Asian republics. Even more surprising was how little awareness there is of conservation issues in the Tian Shan region amongst conservation workers in neighboring areas who are attempting to preserve similar species assemblages and ecosystems to those found in the Tian Shan. Given this lack of awareness, and the great potential for the international community to make a positive contribution towards improving the current state of biodiversity conservation in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, I have summarized my findings on protected areas and conservation in Kyrgyzstan and the Tian Shan of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang in the chapters below. The report begins with some brief background information on geography and society in the Kyrgyz Republic, followed by an overview of biodiversity and the state of conservation in the nation, which at the present time closely parallels the state of conservation in the other former Soviet Central Asian republics. Part IV of the report provides a catalog of all major protected areas in Kyrgyzstan and the other Tian Shan nations, followed by a list of sites in Kyrgyzstan that are as yet unprotected but merit protection. In the appendices the reader will find fairly comprehensive species lists of flora and fauna found in the Kyrgyz Republic, including lists of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, trees and shrubs, wildflowers, and endemic plants. In addition, a
draft paper on the history and current practice of pastoral nomadism in Kyrgyzstan has been included in Appendix A. While the research emphasis for this study was on eastern Kyrgyzstan, over the course of the study the author did have the opportunity to make brief journeys to southern Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Xinjiang. While falling short of being a definitive survey of protected areas of the Tian Shan, the informational review which
follows is the first attempt at bringing the details of conservation efforts throughout the entire Tian Shan Range together in one place. It is hoped that this summary of biodiversity and conservation in the Tian Shan will generate interest in the region amongst conservationists, and help increase efforts to protect this surprisingly unknown range that forms an island of meadows, rivers, lakes, and forests in the arid heart of Asia.
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Fox, J. L. (1997). Conflict between predators and people in Ladakh. Cat News, 17, 18.
Abstract: During a six-week period in Hemis National Park, Ladakh, India, snow leopards killed 10 sheep and goats and one leopard gained access to a livestock pen and killed many of the animals inside. Dholes also killed sheep and goats, and a wolf killed a young horse. Residents routinely remove snow leopard cubs from their dens to limit future damage by this species. How to deal with the plight of the people living in the area while still protecting the endangered species are major concerns of the International Snow Leopard Trust, which manages Hemis National Park. lgh.
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International Snow Leopard Trust. (2001). Snow Leopard News Spring 2001. Seattle, WA: Islt.
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International Snow Leopard Trust. (2001). Snow Leopard News Summer 2001. Seattle, WA: Islt.
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Izold, J. (2008). Snow Leopard Enterprise: a conservation project that saves an endangered species and supports needy families. Anim.Keepers' Forum, 9(5), 359–364.
Abstract: The World Conservation Union listed the snow leopard (Uncia uncia) as endangered in 1974. With as few as 3,500 snow leopards left in the wild, scientists placed the snow leopard on the IUCN Red List of critically endangered species shared by animals such as the giant panda and tiger. In an effort to save the snow leopard from extinction, former zoo employee Helen Freeman founded the Snow Leopard Trust in 1981. The Snow Leopard Trust works to save this elusive cat by incorporating community-based conservation projects. One of these project Leopard Enterprise (SLE), impacts poverty stricken communities in Mongolia, Kyrgyz Republic, and Pakistan. It assists over 300 families in its conservation efforts. The economic incentives provided via SLE have led participating communities not to harm the snow leopard or its prey, and to practice sustainable herding. Since the project began in 1997, the number of snow leopards harmed around the communities' territories has dropped to near zero. Additionally, the annual income of families that utilize the benefits of SLE has increased by 25% to 40%. SLE creates this economic benefit by providing the training and equipment necessary to make desirable products from the wool of herd animals. Snow Leopard Trust then purchases these handicraft items from the local people and them globally. Zoos can expand their conservation efforts by simply offering these items in their gift shops. Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ) was the first zoological institution to sell the products, and WPZ continues to generate revenue from them. SLE is a golden opportunity for zoos to increase revenue, assist poor families, and save an endangered species and fragile ecosystem.
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Jackson, R. M., Ahlborn, G., Gurung, M., & Ale, S. (1996). Reducing livestock depredation losses in the Nepalese Himalaya. Proc.Vertebr.Pest Conf, 17, 241–247.
Abstract: The authors investigated livestock depredation patterns of snow leopards on the northern slopes of the Himalayans near the villages of Manang and Khangshar, Nepal. Information is discussed on the relationships among livestock loss, endangered species management, public relations/conservation issues, and cooperative efforts among institutions involved in the decision making process. A plan is devised for alleviating livestock loss and protecting endangered species in the area. pcp
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Koshkarev, E. P. (1990). On the environment-related stability of snow leopard (Uncia uncia) populations in connection with their distribution in the natural habitats and changes for spread within the USSR. Int.Ped.Book of Snow Leopards, 6, 37–50.
Abstract: The stability of animal populations in respect of the influence of the environment is well known to be conditioned by their location in the natural habitat and their ability to establish new territories. In the peripheral regions of natural habitat, however-in the zone that is ecologically least favourable-the situation of the animal is most unstable. This is due to increased pressure of environmental factors which favour neither a high frequency of contacts between individuals belonging to sperate populations nor an increase in the number of such contatcs and their stabilization. In our opinion, this describes the situation that has come about in certain regions inhabited by the snow leopard in the Soviet Union.
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Oli, M. K., Taylor, I. R., & Rogers, M. E. (1994). Snow leopard Panthera unica predation of livestock: An assessment of local perceptions in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. Biological Conservation, 68(1), 63–68.
Abstract: Public attitudes towards snow leopard Panthera uncia predation of domestic livestock were investigated by a questionnaire survey of four villages in snow leopard habitat within the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. Most local inhabitants were subsistence farmers, many dependent upon yaks, oxen, horses and goats, with an average livestock holding of 26.6 animals per household. Reported losses to snow leopards averaged 0.6 and 0.7 animals per household in two years of study, constituting 2.6% of total stockholding but representing in monetary terms almost a quarter of the average annual Nepali national per capita income. Local people held strongly negative attitudes towards snow leopards and most suggested that total extermination of leopards was the only acceptable solution to the predation problem. Snow leopards were reported to be killed by herdsmen in defence of their livestock. The long-term success of snow leopard conservation programmes may depend upon the satisfactory resolution of the predation conflict. Some possible ways of reducing predation losses are also discussed.
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Oli, M. K., Taylor, K. R., & Rogers, M. E. (1994). Snow leopard Panthera uncia predation of livestock: An assessment of local perceptions in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal (Vol. 68).
Abstract: Public attitudes towards snow leopard Panthera uncia predation of domestic livestock were investigated by a questionnaire survey of four villages in snow leopard habitat within the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal Most local inhabitants were subsistence farmers, many dependent upon yaks, oxen, horses and goats, with an average livestock holding of 26.6 animals per household. Reported losses to snow leopards averaged 0.6 and O. 7 animals per household in two years of study, constituting 2.6% of total stockholding but representing in monetary terms almost a quarter of the average annual Nepali national per capita income. Local people hem strongly negative attitudes towards snow leopards and most suggested that total extermination of leopards was the only acceptable solution to the predation problem. Snow leopards were reported to be killed by herdsmen in defence of their livestock. The long-term success of snow leopard conservation programmes may depend upon the satisfactory resolution of the predation conflict. Some possible ways of reducing predation losses are also discussed.
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Sumiya, G., Buyantsog, B., & WWF Mongolia Country Office. (2002). Conservation of Snow Leopard in the Turgen and Tsagaan Shuvuut Mountains Through Local Involvement.. Islt: Islt.
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Zahler, P., & Graham, P. (2001). War and wildlife: the Afghanistan conflict and its effects on the environment. Seattle: International Snow Leopard Trust.
Abstract: The International Snow Leopard Trust (ISLT) is a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to the conservation of the endangered snow leopard and its mountain ecosystem through a balanced approach that considers the needs of the local people and the environment. As such, we wish to stress that the ISLT does not have a position regarding the present conflict in Afghanistan. However, this organization believes that there are important repercussions regarding this conflict that have yet to be addressed in the media, within government circles, or among the public. This report documents some of these repercussions so that they may be included in the present dialog.
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