towards project snow leopard - Nature Conservation Foundation

46 • Appendix 1
4.
To chalk out a time-bound follow-up plan
During the consultations, senior wildlife officials and decision makers reiterated the ideas
expressed in the Project Snow Leopard Concept Paper and observed that there was an urgent need
to bring the fragile high altitude areas to the forefront of conservation in the states and the country.
They acknowledged the difficult living conditions in the high altitudes, the related constraints for
biodiversity conservation, and the need for special programmes to address the unique situation.
There was a general acceptance that a Flagship Species Programme such as the Project Snow Leopard
could be an ideal approach to tackle the unique and sometimes complex issues of high altitude
areas.
The stage for the workshop was set through the introductory presentation by NCF-ISLT
detailing the rationale and origins of the idea of a Project Snow Leopard in the country. This was
followed by presentations by officials from each state relating their experiences on conservation.
The rest of the workshops were devoted to topical discussions. The first part of these
was devoted to understand the administrative, financial, ecological and other constraints that the
management presently faces in the high altitudes. This was followed by a group discussion on the
limitations of the present PA network and management approaches. A strategy to address these
issues under the PSL was discussed in the next group discussion. The discussions concluded with
deliberations on the views of the wildlife department on the salient points of the proposed PSL that
will ensure effective biodiversity conservation, generate high quality and required information, and
address human resource development needs of the forest department personnel. The participants
developed an action plan regarding the development of the PSL. Details on the required consultations
with community and Government level stakeholders in order to incorporate their concerns in the
policy document were also discussed.
In all states a core group was formed with up to six representatives of the Forest
Department, including the Chief Wildlife Warden, and three from NCF-ISLT, who interacted
regularly on activities and progress of the PSL. This group was also responsible for the development
of the present document summarizing the outcome of the workshops in the five states.