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At national level
Snow Leopards are protected by law in each of the 12 range States, with the possible exception
of Afghanistan (see below). However, in some countries the relevant legislation may not always
be effective. For example, in Pakistan, protective legislation for Snow Leopards is not applied
at the national level and, according to the CITES National Legislation Project, the legislation of
Afghanistan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan and Uzbekistan was “believed to generally not meet the
requirements for the implementation of CITES” (Anon., 2002e).
Afghanistan
No up-to-date information is available on the legal status of Snow Leopards in Afghanistan.
After the military intervention in Afghanistan, launched after 11 September 2001, the
Agreement on Provisional Arrangements in Afghanistan Pending the Re-establishment of
Permanent Government Institutions, signed in Bonn, December 2001, (the “Bonn Agreement”)
established the Afghan Interim Authority (Anon., 2003a). Under this authority, the country’s
legal system still operates within the context of the constitution enacted by the monarchy in
1964. Existing laws stand, provided that they are not inconsistent with the Bonn Agreement. In
this regard, the Nature Protection Law of 1986 (amended in 2000) and the Hunting and Wildlife
Protection Law of 2000 provide an important framework for governance, but a post-conflict
environmental assessment undertaken by UNEP in 2002 concluded that, “the legal status of all
protected animals in Afghanistan is currently in question and no management is taking place to
protect and conserve their ecological integrity” (Anon., 2003a). A project has been initiated
with the participation of UNEP to draft legislation for environmental protection (Baker, 2002),
but this legislation has not yet been developed. In the absence of new environmental laws, the
transitional authority in Afghanistan has issued various decrees banning hunting and timber
harvesting, but difficulties have been reported in the enforcement of these decrees (Anon.,
2003a).
Bhutan
The hunting of Snow Leopards is prohibited in Bhutan through the Forest and Nature
Conservation Act, 1995. Killing of a Snow Leopard can result in a fine of BTN15 000 (approximately
USD309), which is among the highest fines for killing an animal in Bhutan and equal
to about twice the annual cash income of a wildlife warden (around BTN7000 or USD150)
(D. Yonten, Nature Conservation Division, Department of Forestry of Bhutan, in litt., May 2003).
China
The Wildlife Animal Protection Law (WAPL) of the People’s Republic of China (1989) and the
Enforcement Regulations for the Protection of Terrestrial Wildlife of the People’s Republic of
China (1992) are the two principal laws providing full protection to Snow Leopards in China.
The species is listed as a Class I protected animal under the WAPL, which means that:
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hunting of Snow Leopards constitutes a criminal offence and
sale and purchase of Snow Leopards or their products is strictly prohibited (although
scientific research, domestication, breeding, or exhibition is allowed with a permit
(O’Connell-Rodwell and Parry-Jones, 2002).
FADING FOOTPRINTS: the killing and trade of Snow Leopards 15