NAMCHE, Nepal — Crouched on the edge of an overhang, looking at his prey. Here’s one of the few spectacular photos of a snow leopard living in Nepali forests. The shooting was done by a local photographer, Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa, who managed to immortalize this rare Asian feline near Namche village, in the heart of the Sagarmatha National Park.

Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa caught this beautiful snow leopard some days ago in the forest. A precious sighting, given that last months, this animal seemed to have disappeared over the Nepali mountains.

The first sighting of the leopard goes up about 20 days ago, when a collaborator of the photographer had the news of a tahr killed by a snow leopard in Nyershye. A few days after, some local people informed the researchers working in the Sagarmatha National Park that another tahr was killed in Dambagkok.

Lhakpa and a man of the Snp staff left immediately, at about 3.30 am, to search for the snow leopard. The night time, however, prevented them from seeing anything in the environment. After a long wait, at about 5.30 am, the two finally saw the feline near the carcass of a tahr.

However, the shadows of dawn and the darkness of the forest  didn’t allow them to make a photo sufficiently clear.

So Lhakpa moved toward another side, and succeeded in framing and photographing the feline on the prominence of a overhang. This is the spectacular result of his work: 

http://www.evk2cnr.org/en/node/1275

The New Nation: Bangladesh’s Independent News Source, Internet Edition. May 26, 2008

http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/05/26/news0731.htm

The Kanchenjunga conservation area

It was 10 years ago when the staffs of DNPWC and WWF Nepal who had gone for feasibility study in KCA were chased away by locals fearing that they would be removed from their land and restricted from using the natural resources which they had being doing for ages. Over the years, despite the various adversity and challenges, Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project (KCAP) has managed to fulfill its objectives but even as we appreciate and applaud the effort the one of a kind protected area management practice and its impact on such conservation practice is yet to be evaluated.

Declared as “A Gift to the Earth (1997)”,the

Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) is known for its rich biodiversity, its spectacular scenery of Mt Kanchenjunga (8,586m), and rich cultural heritage represented by the 5,254 inhabitants living within the four Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Lelep, Olangchungola, Tapethok and Yamphudin.

On March 22, 1998, with the technical and financial support from WWF Nepal, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) launched the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Project or KCAP. The aim was to conserve globally threatened wildlife species such as the snow leopard combined with local development activities like the promotion of health services, informal education, and income generating activities. The KCA also falls within the Sacred Himalayan Landscape, a landscape approach for biodiversity conservation and improving livelihoods in the Eastern Himalaya. Since 1998, WWF has invested US$ 1.5 million in KCA undertaking initiatives to conserve and protect the flora and fauna while also focusing on programs to improve livelihood, as well as educational and advocacy programs. In 2000, the Conservation Area Government Management Regulation was formulated while the territory of KCA was extended from 1,659sq.kms to 2.035sq.kms.

Ever since the initiation of KCAP, the local communities of Kanchenjunga have long expressed their eagerness to take on the responsibility of the conservation area. With this perspective the KCA Management Council (KCAMC) was formed in 2000 which was represented by all stakeholders from the seven Conservation Area User Committees, 44 User Groups, and 32 Mother Groups. The KCAMC in July 2004 submitted the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Plan to the DNPWC. The goal of the management plan is that biodiversity of KCA is managed by local communities to ensure ecological integrity and bring socio-economic benefits. The management plan was approved by the Cabinet of the Government of Nepal on August 31, 2006.

On September 22, 2006, a formal handover of KCA to the local management council KCAMC was organized. Late Mr Gopal Rai, Minister of State for Forests and Soil Conservation, handed over a Certificate of Authority to late Mr. Dawa Tchering Sherpa, Chairperson of the management council, for the management of the conservation area at a ceremony. This ceremony was attended by international and national conservationists, government dignitaries, friends and supporters as well as national media. This historic step shows the commitment of the Government of Nepal towards the devolution of power to local communities, especially with regard to natural resources and equitable sharing of benefits.
Continue reading “The Kanchenjunga conservation area”

The March 2008, international snow leopard conference in Beijing passed three major resolutions. The first being for national focal points to be formed in each of the snow leopard range countries. The focal points will coordinate the communications and exchange of information on snow leopard conservation and research both international and national levels.  Following this resolution, The Mongolian Focal Point was established at the National Snow Leopard Policy review, 18 March 2008 in Ulaanbaatar, where it was decided to form a broad based focal point group in order to maximize the benefits of collaboration. The group is comprised of government agencies, international and national NGOs, engaged in snow leopard conservation and research. The six members of the group represent Ministry of Nature and Environment (MNE), WWF, UNDP ( Altai Sayan Eco- Region project), Uvs Lake Basin Protected Area and Snow Leopard Conservation Fund (SLCF, NGO). It was agreed that SLCF would coordinate focal point group activities. This will be good news for snow leopard conservation and research in Mongolia, as it will enable all group and other stakeholders to better facilitate problems of information sharing and allow NGO’s and government institutions to learn from each other.  One of the three resolutions suggested at the Beijing conference was to expedite development of a Snow Leopard Action Plan, or to better implement existing plans to their fullest extent.  Mongolia already has had an action plan that has been followed since 2005 when it was first approved, along with the Snow Leopard National Policy. However, the action plan for the next decades which was suggested at the Beijing international conference, was introduced for review at the 18 March policy review workshop as well. A group of Mongolian participants who attended at the international conference, was able to suggest adaptations and additional activities that would update the existing action plan and improve harmony with international guidelines set at the Beijing conference.    Action Plan review workshop was hosted by MNE, WWF and Irbis Mongolia, NGO in 18 March, 2008.

The following article appeared in the Missoulian on 8 April 2008:Newly edited ‘Snow Leopard’ best of IWFF
By JAMIE KELLY of the MissoulianThe film chosen Best of Festival for this year’s International Wildlife Film Festival has already been seen in Missoula.

Resubmitted as an official entry this year, the epic story of the rare snow leopard, and efforts to save the species, is “an indicator of the future of wildlife filmmaking,” said IWFF executive director Janet Rose.

“It’s not just about wildlife,” Rose said of the BBC Natural History Unit film, one of 96 documentaries to be screened next month. “It’s about culture and people. The film really hits on all of those cylinders in a dynamic and sometimes controversial, sometimes emotional way.”

The festival’s six finalist judges awarded the film Best of Festival, but as always, it was a close call, said Rose.

Coming next monthThe 31st International Wildlife Film Festival runs May 10-17 at the Roxy Theatre and the Wilma Theatre. For tickets and information, go to www.wildlifefilms.org

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/04/05/news/mtregional/news08.txt

Himalayan glaciers are melting fast and may disappear within decades, affecting as many as 750 million people downstream who depend on the glacial melt for their water, according to a new UN report. Rivers in the region such as the Ganges, the Indus and the Brahmaputra, as well as others criss-crossing northern India may soon become seasonal rivers, a development that has ramifications for poverty and the economies in the region, warns the report released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). In south Asia (Indian subcontinent), people in the Himalaya and Hindu Kush regions and those downstream who rely on glacial waters would be seriously affected. The average glacier shrank 1.4 m in 2006, compared to 0.5 m in 2005 and 0.3 m in the Eighties and Nineties.

March 18, 2008

For more information visit: http://www.kashmirobserver.com/index.php?id=3896&PHPSESSID=ec2b333cb6ad6dfb5619f02dc47e469f

NOVOSIBIRSK, March 7 (RIA Novosti) – The number of snow leopards in Russia’s southwestern Siberian Altai Republic has fallen from 40 in the late 1990s to 10-15, the director of the Gorny Altai nature preserve said on Friday.

Russia has an estimated total of 100 large mountain cats, which are in the Red Book of Endangered Species.

Sergei Spitsyn said the main reason is an insufficient number of forest rangers and rampant poaching, adding that local residents often see helicopters that are used for illegal hunting.

Snow leopards are hunted for their skin, meat and bones, which are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Weighing usually 35 to 55 kilograms, the snow leopard is slightly smaller than a leopard. Exceptional large males can weigh up to 75 kg. The head and body length is 100 to 130 cm, and the shoulder height is about 60 cm.

The total estimated wild snow leopard population is between 4,000 and 7,500. In addition, there are 600-700 animals in zoos around the world.

Today the Snow Leopard Trust (SLT) announced the initiation in Mongolia of the first ever long-term comprehensive ecological study of snow leopards. The program is a collaborative effort involving SLT, Snow Leopard Conservation Fund (Mongolia), Felidae Conservation Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Mongolia’s Ministry of Nature and Environment, and the Mongolian State University of Agriculture. Dr. Tom McCarthy, Science and Conservation Director of SLT, stated, “Although there have been several valuable studies of the species to date, most were short-term or at most 4 or 5 years in duration, and such short-term efforts simply cannot provide the understanding we need to conserve these cats.” Dr. George Schaller (WCS), who conducted some of the first field studies of snow leopards, concurred, saying, “Long-term studies of tigers and lions have provided important insights into the lives of these cats and their prey. Now, for the first time, the snow leopard is the long overdue focus of such an invaluable effort, one that will, I am certain, contribute greatly to the conservation of this beautiful cat and its mountain environment.” The Mongolian study will run for a minimum of 10 years, and likely for 20 years or more.

Mongolia was selected as the site of the study because the country hosts the second largest population of the endangered cats, with 1,000 or more likely remaining out of a global population of 3,500 to 7,000. SLT also maintains one of its largest conservation programs for the species in Mongolia, using an innovative community-based approach to work with local people in over 27 communities in 7 provinces all along the country’s Altai mountains, a snow leopard stronghold. Over 400 herder families participate in a handicraft-based economic incentive program, coupled with anti-poaching efforts, to conserve a predator they once viewed only as a threat to livestock. The large snow leopard population, in conjunction with a well established conservation program, made Mongolia a logical choice for the new research effort.

In addition to being the world’s leading snow leopard conservation organization, SLT has long been at the forefront of snow leopard research. SLT recently teamed with two leading conservation geneticists, Dr. Lisette Waits (University of Idaho) and Dr. Warren Johnson (National Cancer Institute), to develop molecular genetic tools for individual identification of snow leopards from hair and fecal samples, thus allowing non-invasive population monitoring. SLT was the first to broadly apply these methods in the field in China, Kyrgyzstan, and most recently Mongolia, with encouraging results. “Research is critical to planning appropriate conservation actions and then measuring their outcome,” offered SLT’s Executive Director, Brad Rutherford, “and we employ a variety of cutting-edge research tools.” The new Mongolia study will utilize a suite of methodologies, such as genetics and automated cameras, to learn more about these rare and elusive cats.

While “non-invasive” methods hold much promise, there are many fundamental questions about snow leopard ecology and behavior that cannot be answered without the use of radio-collars. Recent technological advances will allow the use of GPS collars in this study. These collars will calculate each cat’s exact position multiple times a day, and then relay that information to researchers via satellite or ground-based radio links. By monitoring several generations of snow leopards in this manner, researchers will gain unprecedented insights on habitat use, movements, dispersal of sub-adults, adult and juvenile mortality rates and causes, intra-specific interactions, and human-snow leopard conflicts. This information will translate directly into improved conservation measures, better assuring the survival of snow leopards range-wide. Furthermore, by validating and improving upon these and other methods, the project will serve as a source for innovative research, monitoring and conservation tools that will be shared with scientists and conservationists across the region and globally.

The planned study will also provide many hands-on opportunities for training of national and international graduate students and professional biologists. A long-term goal of the program is to establish a research and educational facility in the South Gobi that will serve as a regional center for advanced training in field research and conservation. At least 3 graduate students, one each from Mongolia, Argentina, and Sweden, are expected to be among the first group of young scientists participating in the study. These students will be working alongside staff biologists from Mongolia, India, and the USA, making this a truly international collaboration from the outset.

Education will also be provided to national and provincial government officials, and most importantly to local people. “Conservation education is critical, especially for the people who share these mountains and whose lives are so closely tied to snow leopards” said Zara McDonald, President of Felidae Conservation Fund.

More information will be forthcoming as the program moves forward and will also be available on the Snow Leopard Trust and Felidae Conservation Fund websites.

www.snowleopard.org www.felidaefund.org

info@snowleopard.org info@felidaefund.org

Source: BBC Online
Collar ‘key’ to snow leopard secrets

Lying somewhere in the mountainous, snow-cloaked terrain of Pakistan’s Tooshi Game Reserve is a collar that could help unlock the secrets of the elusive snow leopard.

For the past year, this piece of hi-tech equipment has sat around the neck of a wild snow leopard, recording, via the global positioning system (GPS), almost every step of her travels as she roamed the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Snow leopard diary

And now the collar has dropped off – as it was programmed to – the hunt is under way to retrieve it and for the first time shed light on the secretive animal’s movements.

For Tom McCarthy, science and conservation director of the Snow Leopard Trust, getting hold of the collar is especially important thanks to some of the technical difficulties that the project has faced over the last 14 months.

In November 2006, he and his team captured a 35kg (75lb) female snow leopard – who they named Bayad-e-Kohsaar (Urdu for In Memory of the Mountains) – in the Chitral Gol National Park in Pakistan and fitted the satellite collar.

Continue reading “BBC Video Clip and Article on Radio Collar”

Drink vodka cocktails, save the snow leopard

Source: Smart Planet News

It’s estimated that there are only 3,000 to 7,000 snow leopards left in the wild worldwide, and the outlook is bleak as poachers continue to hunt them down for their incredibly attractive furs. Thankfully, the conservation effort to protect them is set to get a boost from the animals’ alcoholic namesake, Snow Leopard Vodka.

The premium vodka brand, which has until now only been available at swanky cocktail bars in London and Manchester, is now starting to appear in supermarkets like Waitrose, and the company will be generously donating 15 per cent of its profits to protecting endangered species. The company has also set up a charity, called the Snow Leopard Trust UK, to handle the efforts in collaboration with the Snow Leopard International Trust and other wildlife charities.

The vodka is produced in Poland from batches of natural spring water and a grain called spelt. Because spelt has a naturally thick husk, it has the added benefit of being able to grow easily without the use of pesticides.

“This is not just any vodka from Poland, it is one of the best premium spirits on the market,” says Xhulio Sina, Bar Manager of Sketch, Mayfair. “Snow Leopard Vodka has a long and smooth finish, while being strong and gentle in the mouth. This is what I call a true vodka”.

See next page for more information and some delicious recipes!
Continue reading “Drink Vodka, Save the Snow Leopard”

National Geographic Kids shares the story of Leo, the cub who went to live at the Bronx Zoo (Dec 07/Jan 08 Issue).

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Continue reading “Every Single Snow Leopard”