towards project snow leopard - Nature Conservation Foundation

30 • Addresses
Dr. Charudutt Mishra, Executive Director, Nature Conservation Foundation
Hon’ble Ministers, senior officers of the Central and State Governments, distinguished guests.
It is a matter of great honour and privilege for me to be here today and talk to you briefly
about the concept and process of the Project Snow Leopard, and the steps undertaken so far that
have led to today’s important workshop. As you know, Project Snow Leopard would be one of the
most important steps forward in our collective efforts to safeguard the future of India’s magnificent
high altitude wildlife. This wildlife assemblage of global importance is perhaps best exemplified by
the almost mythical snow leopard, which is so endangered that its populations are perhaps declining
even as I stand here and speak to you today.
There are other equally fascinating though less celebrated species of wildlife in these
mountains. Himalayan high altitudes harbour the richest assemblage of mountain ungulates
anywhere on earth. They also support a rich diversity of bird life. In addition to this rich wildlife
heritage, we also draw a variety of ecosystem services from these mountains. The river systems
originating in these high altitudes are vital for the nation’s food security. The high altitudes represent
a vast rangeland system supporting unique pastoral economies. They are also reservoirs for medicinal
plants and tourism. They additionally have aesthetic, spiritual, and strategic importance for the
nation.
Why do we need a Project Snow Leopard? We need a Project Snow Leopard because
our high altitude wildlife today faces a variety of threats. Populations of the snow leopard and
other carnivores are endangered. Mountain ungulates are declining either due to hunting or due
to competition with livestock. There are reports of increasing human-wildlife conflicts throughout
the Himalaya. Overgrazing and rangeland degradation are not only depleting wildlife populations
but threaten the sustainability of pastoral systems dependent on them. Unplanned tourism in many
areas threatens sensitive wildlife habitats. There has been a general lack of resources for conservation
of high altitude wildlife, particularly with the state governments.
The high altitude landscape is unique in that the wildlife is not restricted to small pockets
of protected areas, but occurs across the entire landscape. Similarly, resource use by the indigenous
people is also distributed across the entire landscape. Therefore, a participatory approach to
conservation is the only way forward to conserve wildlife, and is urgently required.
Perhaps the most important reason to have a Project Snow Leopard is that we do not
have one. There have been several meetings and workshops earlier that have expressed the need for
Project Snow Leopard. Even though a snow leopard scheme was proposed more than two decades
ago, we still do not have a Project Snow Leopard.
It is for these reasons that we at the Nature Conservation Foundation and the International
Snow Leopard Trust initiated efforts in 2003 to catalyze the formulation of Project Snow Leopard,
a national strategy and action plan for conservation of high altitude Himalayan wildlife. We