towards project snow leopard - Nature Conservation Foundation

Towards Project Snow Leopard • 79
in lot of migratory labourers. In areas such as Pangi, Lahul and Spiti they are known
to be involved in detrimental activities such as poaching, medicinal plant and other
NTFP collection. Due to the large numbers and spread of these people it is difficult
to keep track of their activities by the handful of staff in the Department.
1.4.3. Need for education of migratory herders: In numerous places, migratory herders
are increasing their stock to unsustainable limits. This is detrimental for pastoral
production in the long term, as well as for wildlife conservation.
1.4.4. Need to reduce livestock populations and encourage better herding practices. In many
areas, there are opportunities to work with the local people to establish livestock free
areas by providing them suitable incentives. Furthermore, better animal husbandry
practices need to be facilitated to safeguard the interests of both the people and
wildlife.
2. Limitations/shortcomings of Present High Altitude Protected Area Network and
Management
2.1. Present PA network in high altitudes ad-hoc in many cases: Many existing high
altitude PAs include large tracts with glaciers, areas with high military presence, and in
general areas of low wildlife value. While this may inflate area under PA coverage, onground
conservation remains poor.
2.2. Wildlife presence and movement not restricted to within PA boundaries: In spite of a
relatively large PA coverage, some populations of endangered species such as the Tibetan
argali, Tibetan gazelle and snow leopard primarily occur outside existing PAs. Thus having
an approach that primarily deals with PAs for biodiversity conservation does not fulfill
goals of conservation in the region, and a landscape-level approach is desirable.
2.3. Enforcement not coupled with participation, and vice-versa: While participatory
approaches are imperative in the region, recognition of the role of enforcement is also
important. A balance of both approaches is necessary for effective conservation.
2.4. Multiplicity of directives for PA management from different bodies (WL Act, Supreme
Court) that has led to confusion amongst PA managers:
2.5. Few desired activities undertaken in PAs: There are only a few PA management activities
that are being undertaken in the PAs today. These relate to revenue collection from
tourists and herders, and at times some ‘habitat development’ activities such as water hole
construction and plantations/pasture development. A vision and strategy for working on
scientifically sound habitat improvement, revenue generation and importantly, involving
community participation in PA management is largely absent.
2.6. Continued resource use within PAs: As mentioned earlier, the region has sparse natural
resources and pervasive human use. Because of these limitations, human use of PAs is