Media advisory, June 4, 2014.
Range countries, experts meet in Kyrgyz Republic to identify key habitats to be protected for the endangered snow leopard.
The international effort to save the endangered snow leopard is moving along. Having adopted the landmark Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program in October 2013, the 12 countries that are home to this elusive big cat will gather for a workshop in the Kyrgyz Republic this June to carry the momentum forward.
The Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) calls for at least 20 secure snow leopard landscapes to be protected by 2020 across the 12 countries. Identifying these landscapes and prioritizing measures to protect them is one of the main objectives of this workshop.
Another focus is on enhancing the capacity of the conservation experts and policy makers who will lead the implementation of this program to save the endangered snow leopard in their various countries. To this end, participants will also undergo training in Adaptive Leadership for Conservation, delivered by the World Bank Institute.
What:
Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP): National Focal Points Action Planning, Leadership and Capacity Development Workshop.
Who:
Hosted by the State Agency of Environmental Protection and Forestry of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. Co-organized and cosponsored by the GSLEP Working Secretariat, Global Environment Facility, Global Tiger Initiative, INTERPOL, NABU, Snow Leopard Conservancy, Snow Leopard Trust, UNDP, USAID, World Bank, WCS and WWF.
When:
June 5 – 12, 2014
Where:
Kapriz Recreation Center, Baktuu-Dolonoty, lssyk Kul Region, Kyrgyz Republic
Why:
– Identify 20 snow leopard landscapes to be secured by 2020
– Enhance capacity of national and international practitioners and develop effective leadership teams to support the implementation of the GSLEP on national level
– Define next steps: Agree on national and global priority activities and develop performance indicators to measure progress toward the goal.
Please use the hashtag #globalsnowleopard for reporting and getting updates about the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystems Protection Program
Contacts:
Kyrgyz Republic:
Koustubh Sharma, Deputy Program Officer, Working Secretariat of the GSLEP, koustubh@snowleopard.org, +996-512-18-116
Andrew Zakharenka, Program Officer, Global Tiger Initiative, azakharenka@worldbank.org, +996-777-419-750
USA / Europe:
Andrew Oplas, Communications Officer, Global Tiger Initiative, roplas@worldbank.org, +1-202-458-1013
Matt Fiechter, Communications Officer, Snow Leopard Trust, matt@snowleopard.org, +1-206-632-2421
Good luck to all delegates, I hope the week goes well.
I wish whosoever there is really working on ground for these cats consider the Zanskar Range and
ranges around Gilgit in Kashmir. The certain population of cats that could be saved.
Tod valley in Lahaul n Spiti District of Himachal Pradesh sharing its border with Zanskar ranges should be explored .Surely it would prove a hotspot in snow leopard conservation.
I am very sceptical at the good this program will do. It appears that corruption within the Kyrgyzstan government is rife throughout. After recently returning from a hunting trip in Kyrgyzstan and after several attempts to report the illegal activities of the UK outfitter and local Kyrgyzstan Outfitter who worked in partnership and provided us with falsified documents (unknowingly to us at the time and much to our disgust); the report was swept under the table due to the influence financial transactions have in making these issues disappear.
Ethical hunters don’t want this, they seek a sustainable resource that is managed so that the flora and fauna of Kyrgyzstan thrives and can continue to do so as a result of income gained through the significant permit fees of these animals. Kyrgyzstan and it wildlife is a country at risk, and is so because of the corruption that is allowed to continue to this day.
Hi Daniel
Your concerns are certainly legitimate. The story you tell is all too common, unfortunately; not only in Kyrgyzstan. We do believe however that empowering and creating incentives for park rangers and citizens in protected areas to report and apprehend illegal hunters are the most promising approaches to tackling these problems.