Category: Webinar

 

SLN invites you to join us for our next webinar about – EUROLYNX – A Collaborative science for studying Eurasian lynx ecology at the range of its distribution.

About the Talk:

EUROLYNX is an open, collaborative network using a shared spatial database to study Eurasian lynx ecology across Europe, examining responses to habitat, human impact, prey availability, and livestock practices. Founded in 2018, it includes 54 research groups from 22 countries. The consortium has compiled extensive data, including telemetry from 803 lynx, prey records, camera-trap images, and roadkill incidents, and has published seven high-impact papers with more in progress. Key achievements include identifying general drivers of habitat selection and producing a Europe-wide habitat quality map to support conservation planning. Additional research covers lynx survival, reproduction, dispersal, predation, activity, and standardized monitoring methods such as camera traps and AI-based identification. EUROLYNX also collaborates with experts on other lynx species to advance conservation of the entire Lynx genus.

N.B. To our members who may have lynx data to share – EUROLYNX is keen to collaborate with researchers in Asia.

Following the presentation, a facilitator from the SLN Steering Committee will guide a moderated and inclusive discussion focused on a key question: What elements of the EUROLYNX model might be relevant — or not — for snow leopard research across High Asia?

The conversation will consider which elements of collaborative science, such as shared questions, coordinated analyses, or common monitoring approaches, could be useful for the Snow Leopard Network. Participants will be invited to share ideas, experiences, and perspectives. The aim is to gather input and feedback from across the network, helping SLN begin to collate reflections on whether more coordinated approaches could add value for snow leopard science and conservation.

About our Speaker:

 

 

Marco Heurich is a German wildlife ecologist and conservation biologist known for his research on forest ecosystems and large mammals. He works at the Bavarian Forest National Park, where he leads monitoring and animal management, and is a professor of wildlife ecology and conservation biology at the University of Inland Norway and at the University of Freiburg. His work combines field ecology, remote sensing, and conservation practice, with a focus on species such as lynx and deer, and he has published extensively in science and conservation. He chairs the Eurolynx and Eurowildcat initiatives and coordinates the wildlife monitoring of the German national parks.

 

 

 

About our Guest Member of EUROLYNX

Joe Premier is an ecologist and wildlife researcher based at the Bavarian Forest National Park in Germany, known for conservation ecology work, particularly related to the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). He has been involved in ecological research that integrates individual-based, spatially explicit population models with empirical data to better understand predator movement, habitat use, and population dynamics — tools that are important for evidence-based conservation and species reintroduction planning. Joe was heavily involved in the birth of the EUROlynx network and as the data curator helps to coordinate exchange among members in support of their research activities. 

About our Facilitator:

Justine Shanti Alexander is the Country Director at WCS Mongolia program.  Over the past decade, she has dedicated herself to building partnerships at both national and local levels for the conservation of threatened species across High Asia, with a specific focus on Mongolia and China. Her conservation work revolves around bridging research, community programming, and international collaborations to strengthen conservation outcomes.

One issue that holds great significance for her is finding inclusive solutions that prioritize the voices of local stakeholders and place human well-being and community resilience at the heart of wildlife conservation programs. With a scientific academic background, she earned a master’s degree in Conservation Science from Imperial College (U.K.) in 2011 and completed a Ph.D. on snow leopard conservation at Beijing Forestry University (China) in 2015.

 

Date/Time:

Wednesday, February 11th at 15:30 PM (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

 

The Snow Leopard Network wishes you a wonderful year ahead in 2026 and invites you to join us for our first webinar of the year.

About the Talk:

Genomic data can help inform conservation in numerous ways. Katie will begin by describing what insights they have been able to make regarding the evolutionary history and current status of snow leopard using whole genome sequencing data (these results are thoroughly described in the PNAS publication), and will then detail how this genomic information was used to create a new molecular tool (specifically, a SNP panel), to identify snow leopard individuals genetically from fecal samples (this project is thoroughly described in the Molecular Ecology Resources publication). Katie completes her presentation by discussing how this SNP panel can be employed across the snow leopard range to hopefully aid in existing conservation efforts. Our speaker hopes that some researchers in the audience might be interested in utilizing this SNP panel on samples from their research area and will be eager to answer any questions about how this can be done. 

A photo of a snow leopard scat that I took in 2013 when I was doing field work on pikas in Himachal Pradesh, India

 

 

A map showing individual ID results for a subset of fecal samples from Pakistan. 

About our Speaker:

 

Katie Andrea Solari has a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Stanford University. Katie is currently a research scientist in the Petrov Lab at Stanford University and the Associate Director of the Program for Conservation Genomics (PCG). Katie’s work focuses on developing methods and generating genetic data that can be used to aid conservation management. This includes producing genomic datasets for species of conservations concern and distilling this data down to SNP panels that can be used to gain meaningful information from non-invasive samples.

 

 

A map showing where we have blood/tissue samples from for our whole genome sequencing study

About our Facilitator:

 

Shakeel Ahmad has a PhD in Wildlife Ecology from Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan. His doctoral research focused on understanding snow leopard population dynamics in relation to resource availability, using non-invasive genetic approaches and spatial capture–recapture models. Shakeel’s work emphasizes the application of molecular ecology and advanced spatial and statistical analyses to estimate population size, density, and prey availability of large carnivores. His broader research interests include large carnivores and their prey ecology, human–wildlife interactions, and the use of non-invasive tools such as camera trapping and non-invasive genetics to support evidence-based wildlife conservation and management.

Date/Time:

Thursday, 22nd January at 10:00 AM (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

 

SLN invites you to join us for our next webinar based on this recent publication:

About the Talk:

The number of studies on snow leopard ecology has surged dramatically over the past few decades. However, despite this increase, many essential aspects of the species biology, which are critical for shaping effective conservation and management strategies, remain poorly understood. A particularly crucial area of research is the population connectivity and genetic structure of snow leopards across their naturally fragmented range.

In our study, we focused on the Dzungarian region, specifically Kazakhstan, which has been repeatedly identified as a potentially significant area of connectivity between the southwestern and northern portions of the snow leopard range. We analyzed genetic data (mtDNA and microsatellites) of snow leopards from Russia, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan to recognize both historical and recent signatures of gene flow between the major fragmented regions of the species’ distribution. Our results confirm the Dzungarian region’s role as a crucial area of connectivity between the core and northern populations, thereby providing empirical support for prior habitat-and connectivity-model predictions. However, we did not find clear evidence to unambiguously identify whether Kazakhstan or Chinese Xinjiang serves as the primary corridor linking these two fragmented parts of the snow leopard range. We believe that connectivity across the global species’ range likely relies on several narrow corridors forming contact zones, facilitated by the species’ capacity for long-distance movements.

Further research efforts are needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of population connectivity in this focal region. Considering the Dzungarian region’s potential to support gene flow between the two major portions of the snow leopard range, conservation strategies should prioritize the preservation of habitats that can function as “stepping stones” to facilitate migration between the Tian Shan and the northern populations in Mongolia and Russia.

About our Speaker:

 

Dr. Miroslav Korablev is a Russian zoologist and senior researcher at the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His multidisciplinary work spans ecology, population genetics and morphometry across a broad array of mammals – including mustelids, canids, felids and rodents – with a particular emphasis on carnivore population genetics and ecology. A flagship focus of Dr. Korablev’s research is the snow leopard, especially the northernmost populations inhabiting the Altai and Sayan mountain ranges of Russia and Mongolia. Through detailed analyses of genetic diversity, population structure and connectivity both within this region and across the species’ wider range, his studies have yielded critical insights into the viability of these transboundary populations and the threats they face.

 

 

About our Facilitator:

 

SLN invites you to join us for our next webinar

About the Talk:

EarthRanger – Protecting wildlife and ecosystems with data-driven insights. We bring you an overview of the EarthRanger platform for protecting wildlife and ecosystems with data-driven insights. EarthRanger brings everything together—collect data from the field, integrate your technology, see your wildlife and teams in real time, create reports and visualizations to summarize your data, and develop strategies that accelerate your impact. Since its inception in 2015, EarthRanger has helped protected area managers make informed, conservation-related operational decisions. It is also used by ecologists and biologists to study wildlife and habitats, and to advocate for their protection.

Our Speakers:

Antony Lynam works for the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2), designing conservation solutions and managing partnerships for EarthRanger, Asia/ Oceania. He previously worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). An Australian national, he has >30 years of experience conducting research and using evidence-based approaches to advise wildlife conservation projects and initiatives in Australia, the United States (California), Africa and Asia and has served as a technical advisor for wildlife conservation projects in the Greater Mekong (Lao, Myanmar, Cambodia), Southeast Asian Archipelago (Philippines, Indonesia), South Asia and Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh and Sri Lanka), and Temperate Grasslands (Mongolia) regions of Asia. He has designed training curricular and trained government research, wildlife and protected area staff, and university students in wildlife survey and monitoring, conservation and protection techniques. Antony helped organize some of the first multiagency wildlife law enforcement training courses in the region and helps train and develop conservation capacity for local NGOs. He has written and helped implement recovery programmes for tigers, Asian elephants, and tapirs and recently served as the Subregional Support Officer to the CITES Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme in Southeast Asia. Antony provided inputs to the IUCN Guidelines for Managing Wildlife Crimes in Protected Areas and serves on the IUCN Cat Specialist Group. He previously led the SMART Training Taskforce and has organized SMART training exercises globally. He is a Past-President of the Society for Conservation Biology. Antony has written or contributed to over 60 peer-reviewed research and popular articles related to wildlife conservation.

 

Purevjav (Pujii) Lkhagvajav is the Executive Director for Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation NGO and Program director for Snow Leopard Trust in Mongolia, where she has spent time studying snow leopards in the South Gobi region and conducting population surveys across Mongolia’s most critical snow leopard habitat. She has trained over 100 rangers, specialists in survey techniques and camera trap monitoring, and building sustainable capacity for snow leopard research throughout Mongolia.

 

 

 

Choidogjamts Byambasuren works as a research and monitoring specialist at the non-governmental organization Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia. Since 2020, he has been working to increase the knowledge and capacity of community volunteer rangers, to motivate them, and to facilitate their field work. The SMART program is being used to facilitate the patrolling of rangers and the collection and transmission of monitoring data.

 

 

Date/Time:

Wednesday, 1st October at 14:30 PM (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

 

 

SLN invites you to join us for our next webinar

 

About the Talk:

This talk will focus on a community-based biodiversity monitoring system in the Sanjiangyuan Region, explaining how we design and deploy over 300 camera traps and how over 300 local monitors assist us in collecting data. We will also cover our methods for camera management and the incentive mechanisms used to support and motivate local monitors. The presentation will also touch upon our use of various other monitoring methods to survey ungulates and birds, as we attempt to build a comprehensive understanding of the entire ecosystem.

About our Speaker:

 

 

 

 

Liang Miaomiao is a scientific consultant for the Shan Shui Conservation Center. She is responsible for community-based biodiversity monitoring in the Three-River-Source National Park and assists in studying the population dynamics of snow leopard in the Sanjiangyuan region.

About our Facilitator:

 

 

 

 

Li Xiaoyu is a postdoctoral researcher in ecology at Peking University and a scientific consultant for the Shan Shui Conservation Center. She is responsible for community-based conservation and scientific research in the Jiatang Grassland of the Sanjiangyuan region. Since 2018, Dr. Li has been engaged in research on the ecology of the Himalayan wolf in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the human-wolf conflicts. Her study enhances the understanding of this threatened wolf subspecies, and provides valuable insights into resolving conflicts.

Date/Time:

Thursday, 11th September at 14:30 PM (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

 

 

 

SLN invites you to join us for our next webinar

About the Talk:

The Mongolian Gobi-Steppe is a vast and unique landscape, home to incredible wildlife and the nomadic herders who depend on it. In recent years, WCS Mongolia has increased its engagement with communities in the South Gobi to address growing threats like mining, infrastructure, and climate change.

(Photos by Ben Buckland)

In her talk, Boloroo will share strategies that are gradually catalyzing local conservation action, focusing on three key approaches that support communities in protecting this fragile ecosystem. First, she’ll describe how herders across seven communities are working to safeguard more than 4,400 km² of important wildlife corridors, helping to create a growing conservation landscape. Next, she’ll highlight how herder groups are being engaged to support nomadic wildlife, such as khulans and goitered gazelles, in safely moving through fragmented habitats. Finally, Boloroo will discuss climate adaptation efforts that apply local action to help communities and wildlife prepare for a changing environment.

(Photos by Ben Buckland)

Her presentation will show how these strategies are steadily building momentum and fostering conservation beyond protected areas.

(Photos by Ben Buckland)

About our Speaker:

 

Bolortsetseg Sanjaa is the Conservation Governance and Community Manager at the WCS Mongolia Program. She holds a Master’s degree in Science Biology from the National University of Mongolia and a second Master’s in Art Communication and Conservation Leadership from the University of Texas at El Paso. She also graduated with a degree in Environmental Law to strengthen her work at the intersection of conservation and policy.  Since joining WCS Mongolia in 2006, Bolortsetseg has been dedicated to strengthening conservation governance and engaging local communities and stakeholders across the Gobi Steppe ecosystem.  Her recent work focuses on integrating wildlife conservation into national and local environmental policies, laws, and international conventions. She is a Conservation Governance & Community Manager, who is currently leading efforts to support community-led conservation actions and multi-stakeholder collaboration in the South Gobi.

 

(Photos by Ben Buckland)

About our Facilitator:

Justine Shanti Alexander is the Country Director at WCS Mongolia program.  Over the past decade, she has dedicated herself to building partnerships at both national and local levels for the conservation of threatened species across High Asia, with a specific focus on Mongolia and China. Her conservation work revolves around bridging research, community programming, and international collaborations to strengthen conservation outcomes.

One issue that holds great significance for her is finding inclusive solutions that prioritize the voices of local stakeholders and place human well-being and community resilience at the heart of wildlife conservation programs. With a scientific academic background, she earned a master’s degree in Conservation Science from Imperial College (U.K.) in 2011 and completed a Ph.D. on snow leopard conservation at Beijing Forestry University (China) in 2015.

(Photos by Ben Buckland)

Date/Time:

Thursday, 28th August at 14:30 PM (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

 

 

We are delighted to invite you to join us for this special webinar presentation with Rodney Jackson and Rinzin Phunjok Lama.

About the Talk:

In this webinar, Rodney Jackson – the first scientist to radio-collar snow leopards, will share milestones along his 45+year career dedicated to the research and conservation of this seldom seen big cat. Much of Rodney’s pioneering work was undertaken before the introduction of PC computers, hand-held GPS devices, or smart phones and without benefit of walkie-talkies or digital cameras. His study area in Western Nepal was only reachable via a 12-day or more trek over arduous, dangerous trails, with all supplies, food and equipment for the 3–6-month field session portered in by local people or more rarely on yaks. Rodney and his team rarely saw snow leopards but nevertheless were able to gather extensive information on snow leopard behavior, movements and habitat selection using telemetry and tracking social sign-posts along travel lanes favored by male and female snow leopards alike.

 

 

 

From this seminal study, Rodney will share his work training Protected Area rangers in Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Mongolia using sign transects (SLIMS) to conducting the first camera trap and non-invasive studies, pioneering community-driven conservation and wildlife-livestock conflict mitigation to working with Traditional Cultural Elders, shamans and educators in Central Asia. Over the past few decades, he has focused on mentoring the next generation of conservationists.  

 

 

 

Rodney and Rinzin will then discuss how studies of snow leopards and their prey have changed from the “muddy boots” days of the 1970s-1990’s to involve closer and more interactive exchanges with local communities for resolving human-wildlife conflict, address climate change and laying basic framework for empowering local people to become increasingly effective as citizen scientists and front-line guardians of the snow leopard, its mountain biodiversity and their own environment. While key questions remain, like “how many snow leopards are there?”, the need for more strategic conservation action to address many growing threats remains. Indeed, the future of snow leopards’ rests with the current generation of biologists, ecologists and social scientists — men and women working in tandem with local people (especially pastoralists and herders) and government rather than being heavily driven by academia.

 

About our Speaker:

Dr. Rodney Jackson was born in South Africa and grew up in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. In 1968 he came to the US to obtain his master’s degree from UC Berkeley, and upon graduating he started his career as an independent wildlife and land management consultant in California and eastern Africa. In 1981 he received the Rolex Award for Enterprise that enabled his pioneering radio-tracking study of snow leopards in the remote mountains of the Nepalese Himalaya. This four-year study led to a National Geographic cover story in 1986 and his PhD in 1996 from the University of London.

Rodney is widely acknowledged as a leading world expert on snow leopards and their high-mountain ecosystem. A founder member of the International Snow leopard Trust, in 2000 he and his wife Darla Hillard launched the Snow Leopard Project which evolved into the Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) based on his 40+ years’ experience gained in working closely with rural herders and farmers whose lives are directly impacted when snow leopards’ prey upon their livestock. In 2003 Rodney and Darla established the SLC – India Trust, now an independent NGO based in Ladakh, India.

Rodney prepared the original snow leopard section for the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Cats published in 1996. He is a long-time member of IUCN’s Cat Specialist Core Group and served on the Snow Leopard Network Steering Committee between 2003 and 2008. Rodney led the standardization of snow leopard field survey methods across the twelve snow leopard host countries, known as the Snow Leopard Information Management System (SLIMS). Working with partner agencies, he has trained biologists in survey and conservation methods for parks and nature reserves in China, Pakistan, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, and India. SLIMS has since been superseded by advancements in camera trapping and genetic technology for surveying snow leopard populations. Rodney has served as a consultant to the World Bank on a GEF protected areas project in Pakistan, and to the UNDP for a GEF Biodiversity Conservation Project in Upper Mustang Project in Nepal. He assisted ACTED, to develop community-based wildlife initiatives in Tajikistan centered around snow leopards and Marco Polo sheep, funded by UNESCO, along with providing technical support for transboundary and wildlife management for the Makalu-Barun National Park (Nepal)i, the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve (Tibet, China) and four protected areas in Pakistan.

Rodney has contributed to numerous scientific peer-reviewed papers and general interest publications targeting administrators and the general public.  He is an Honorary Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and a five-time finalist for the Indianapolis Prize, among the world’s most prestigious and largest individual award for animal conservation. He numerous presentations have reached audiences across America to Britain, South Africa, Australia and Nepal. 

Rodney retired as SLC’s Executive Director in 2022, although currently serving as President of its Board of Directors, while also devoting his time mentoring the next generation of promising range-country conservationists and of course keeping his hand in special projects (including using drones for enumerate prey species in Mongolia).

About our Facilitator:

Rinzin Phunjok Lama is an internationally recognized conservationist from Humla, Nepal. He holds a BSc in Forestry from Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry, Pokhara, and a Master’s degree in International Nature Conservation jointly from the University of Göttingen, Germany, and Lincoln University, New Zealand. Rinzin currently leads UKALI, a community-led initiative focused on trans-Himalayan biodiversity conservation in Nepal, with emphasis on his native Upper Karnali region.

Since 2014, Rinzin has been actively involved in high-altitude wildlife research and conservation, contributing numerous peer-reviewed publications. His leadership and dedication have earned him several prestigious accolades, including the WWF Nepal Conservation Award (2020), the prestigious Rolex Award for Enterprise (2021), and recognition as one of Time magazine’s Next Generation Leaders (2022). In 2024, he received the Future for Nature Award and the National Geographic Wayfinder Award, and was named among OnlineKhabar’s “40 Under 40” most influential youths in Nepal.)

 

Date/Time:

Thursday, 10th July at 09:15 AM (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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Talk:

SLN invites you to our upcoming webinar presentation that delves into the ecological coexistence of two apex predators—the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the common leopard (Panthera pardus)—within the trans-Himalayan region of Nepal. Drawing from a combination of historical accounts dating back to the 1950s and extensive winter camera trap data collected between 2016 and 2023 in the Annapurna Conservation Area (elevations 3,100–4,696 m), the study challenges conventional assumptions about the recent appearance of common leopards at high altitudes being solely a result of climate change.

 

SLN invites you to join us for our upcoming webinar and is delighted to welcome Li Xueyang (Our Speaker) and Wei Chunyue (Our Facilitator).

About the Talk:

 

About our Facilitator:

Kayley Bateman joined the Snow Leopard Conservancy team as Programs Manager in July of 2023. She coordinates SLC’s conservation, education, and applied research programs and serves as the primary liaison between SLC and its partners. Kayley has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in Animal Science and a Master’s of Art in Biology from Miami University’s Project Dragonfly. Her involvement in Project Dragonfly’s Global Field Program focused on working effectively across diverse ecological and social settings to foster change through community-engaged education, scientific inquiry, environmental stewardship, and global understanding. Last fall, Kayley traveled to Nepal with the Snow Leopard Conservancy to facilitate the One Health – One Welfare program, an interdisciplinary approach aimed at strengthening local capacity to enhance the well-being of both animals and people in Nepal. Before joining the Conservancy, Kayley spent 15 years as an animal care specialist working directly with snow leopards, tigers, bears, and other wildlife in zoological settings.

Receiving compensation

Date/Time:

Tuesday, 22nd April at 19:00 PM (Bishkek time)

Location:

ZOOM, to join this talk, REGISTER HERE

 Please note: