Download - Global Tiger Initiative

More documents

Recommendations

Info

RECOMMENDATIONS The information presented in this report relates to a range of threats to Snow Leopards, which are often inter-related and which shift in prominence with geographical context. Therefore, different actions are required in different parts of the Snow Leopard’s range. Bearing in mind that some proposals will be of greater importance, or applicable only in certain parts of the Snow Leopard’s range, the following recommendations are made. The order of listing does not denote order of priority for action. Strengthening national legislation and conservation policies • • • • • Legislation gaps Range States should address any gaps in legislation, to ensure that Snow Leopards are fully protected by law. Although Snow Leopards are protected by law in every range State, with the possible exception of Afghanistan in its transitional state, there are gaps in the legislation of some countries. In order to provide full legal protection for Snow Leopards, range States should ensure that legislation specifically outlaws hunting, possession, sale and trade of Snow Leopards, including all their parts, derivatives and products made from these, and that the legislation is applicable to all regions of the country, including those where Snow Leopards do not occur. Legal assistance and advice CITES Parties, the CITES Secretariat, inter-governmental organizations and NGOs should offer advice and assistance to Snow Leopard range States in revising or drafting legislation relevant to the protection of Snow Leopards. Sufficient penalties Snow Leopard range States should ensure that penalties for breaking laws related to Snow Leopard conservation are sufficiently high to act as a deterrent to those tempted to kill or illegally trade Snow Leopards. As a minimum, fines imposed should be comparable to the retail value of the commodity traded, taking into account the value of Snow Leopards at international markets. Whistle blower policies Range States should consider the development of so-called “whistle blower” policies that provide incentives to report illegal activities, such as the killing, possession or trade of protected animals. The anonymity of the informants should be vouchsafed. Experiences from similar schemes already in use, as in Mongolia, should be taken into account. CITES and Asian big cats CITES Parties, in particular Snow Leopard range States, are urged to implement the recommendations made in CITES Resolution 12.5 Conservation of and trade in <strong>Tiger</strong>s and other Appendix-I Asian big cat species and to undertake the actions recommended in CITES Decision 12.29 and Decision 12.30. Where appropriate, range States should seek the assistance of national and/or international bodies in compiling the information and exploring the approaches requested by these Decisions. 56 FADING FOOTPRINTS: the killing and trade of Snow Leopards
• CITES membership Snow Leopard range States not Parties to CITES, that is Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, should be urged to join the Convention as a matter of urgency. These two countries should proactively seek the technical assistance of the CITES Secretariat, CITES Parties, inter-governmental organizations and NGOs in drafting CITES-implementing legislation and in establishing the relevant administrative capacities. Strengthening law enforcement capacity • • • Strengthen trade controls on known trade routes, at markets and cross-border points Field patrolling is difficult in many areas of the Snow Leopard's range, however known trade routes, wildlife markets and important border crossings, for example along the Kyrgyz-Chinese border, the Pakistani-Afghanistani border and the Nepalese- Chinese border, should be regularly controlled by efficiently equipped and trained staff. Strong links between these teams and all other relevant agencies responsible for enforcing wildlife protection laws must be maintained to facilitate the exchange of intelligence, increase the understanding of trade routes and dynamics and to avoid duplication of efforts. In addition, regional and international links and co-operation should be established and/or strengthened, in particular between neighbouring countries where smuggling of Snow Leopard products has been reported. Where appropriate, undercover investigations should be considered as a means of successful enforcement and collection of intelligence. Establishing anti-poaching teams Governments of range States should consider the establishment of specialised antipoaching teams to counter the illegal killing of and trade in Snow Leopards. These teams should be well trained and effectively equipped and should work with local communities, establishing local contacts and keeping these informed of the team’s role and activities. These teams should also work closely with other wildlife enforcement units. Governments should consider training and hiring former wildlife poachers as rangers to provide them with an alternative income and to access their knowledge on wildlife, hunting and trade routes. The experiences of similar anti-poaching teams, such as the “<strong>Tiger</strong> brigade” in the Russian Far East, the “Gruppa Bars” in Kyrgyzstan and the Community Wildlife Ranger Programme in Cambodia should be taken into account. Where appropriate, the assistance of NGOs should be sought to help with the design, founding and administration of such groups. Regular monitoring of major markets and known trade centres Governments, where appropriate in co-operation with NGOs, should regularly monitor markets and other locations where Snow Leopard skins and other products have been frequently offered, most notably markets and tourist shops in Kashi, China; the fur shops and stalls in Namak-Mandi and Kissa-Khawani markets in Peshawar, Pakistan; and the fur shops in Kabul. FADING FOOTPRINTS: the killing and trade of Snow Leopards 57
Page 1 and 2:
FADING FOOTPRINTS: THE KILLING AND
Page 3 and 4:
FADING FOOTPRINTS: THE KILLING AND
Page 5 and 6:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the course
Page 7 and 8:
Although it is difficult to assess
Page 9 and 10:
Raise awareness of the threats pose
Page 11 and 12:
BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION The Sno
Page 13 and 14:
METHODOLOGY A large part of this re
Page 15 and 16: Credit: International Snow Leopard
Page 17 and 18: Table 1 Distribution and population
Page 19 and 20: Mongolia The Snow Leopard is distri
Page 21 and 22: and human encroachment, which have
Page 23 and 24: BOX I CITES-REPORTED TRADE IN SNOW
Page 25 and 26: At national level Snow Leopards are
Page 27 and 28: protest of conservation groups (Tse
Page 29 and 30: Law enforcement is also often imped
Page 31 and 32: Conflict with herders Killings of S
Page 33 and 34: Snow Leopards in 1989-90, which rep
Page 35 and 36: from Russia in the 1920s has been e
Page 37 and 38: Kabul) (Chivers, 2002) and, in July
Page 39 and 40: • The pelt and bones of Snow Leop
Page 41 and 42: north-west Himalayan tourist towns
Page 43 and 44: demand from Chinese traders. Trader
Page 45 and 46: Table 7 Snow Leopard products noted
Page 47 and 48: Trade in Snow Leopards skins has be
Page 49 and 50: Pakistan has been well known for it
Page 51 and 52: Credit: Javed Khan Four Snow Leopar
Page 53 and 54: targeted in the region and trade wi
Page 55 and 56: New networks of hunters, middlemen
Page 57 and 58: Snow Leopards are accidentally trap
Page 59 and 60: y Snow Leopard Enterprises direct f
Page 61 and 62: aised for re-investment into wildli
Page 63 and 64: Snow Leopard Survival Strategy and
Page 65: and of their prey for subsistence a
Page 69 and 70: Protecting and/or recovering the na
Page 71 and 72: and benefits associated with their
Page 73 and 74: Anon. (1999). Issues relating to sp
Page 75 and 76: Fox, J.L. (1994). Snow Leopard cons
Page 77 and 78: Ma, J., Zou, H. and Cheng, K (2002)
Page 79 and 80: Sumiya, G and Buyantsog, B. (2002).
Page 81 and 82: taken/fine imposed, source of infor
Page 83 and 84: FADING FOOTPRINTS: the killing and
show all

Download - Global Tiger Initiative

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?