In 2003, the International Snow Leopard Trust Continued to Make Solid Progress Towards

In 2003, the International Snow Leopard Trust continued to make solid progress towards meeting the mandates outlined in the Snow Leopard Survival Strategy (SLSS). The SLSS was crafted in 2002 and incorporates the input of over 60 researchers and conservationists from 17 countries. This living document is designed to guide the conservation efforts not only of ISLT, but of all organizations and individuals working to protect the endangered snow leopard. But providing the means for a coordinated approach to conservation endeavors, the SLSS ensures that resources are expended in as efficient a manner as possible and that efforts are as productive as possible.

ISLT’s conservation plan for 2003 focused on the continued growth of activities in the four countries where we have had an ongoing presence over the last 3 years: India, the KyrgyzRepublic, Mongolia, and Pakistan. Through effective partnerships with local conservation organizations, ISLT was able to increase the impact of our supporters’ sponsorship. ISLT partners with the Nature Conservation Foundation in India, the Community and Business Forum in the KyrgyzRepublic, the World Wildlife Fund in Pakistan, and Peace Corps in Mongolia. When these partnerships are combined with ISLT’s extremely capable field staff, the results are truly impressive.

In addition to partnering with wildlife conservation organizations, ISLT has, since its inception, worked in close collaboration with the local people who live in close proximity to the snow leopard. Ensuring their involvement in conservation planning and implementation greatly increases the likelihood of long-term success. As you read through this 2003 Annual Report, you will no doubt discover that this basic principle informs nearly all of ISLT’s conservation endeavors.

India

The ongoing implementation of conservation projects in the village of Kibber in Spiti, India continued to pay substantial dividends in snow leopard prey species population growth and reduced levels of retaliatory poaching of the endangered cats. In addition to the ongoing community-based livestock insurance program and the grazing reserve projects, the support from our members and other sponsors also made possible the production of effective education materials; research into local people’s attitudes about wildlife; and livestock depredation surveys and analysis.

The grazing reserve is in its fifth year of existence, and by any measure is a great success. The village council proudly refers to the set-aside as “the only livestock-free wildlife reserve in the Indian Trans-Himalaya.” Residents of Kibber have agreed to refrain from grazing their livestock in a substantial swath of the village’s land (just over 500 ha) in an effort to enhance prey density for the snow leopard. Specifically, the reserve is helping fuel the recovery of local populations of bharal, a wild mountain ungulate and native prey species of the snow leopard. Before the grazing reserve was established, bharal populations were in steep decline as a result of competition with growing numbers of domestic livestock for limited forage. This reduction in natural prey for the snow leopards led to increased instances of livestock loss to predation by the endangered cats, which in turn frequently led to retribution poaching of snow leopards. Since the reserve’s inception, bharal populations, which have been closely monitored by ISLT staff, have increased three-fold.

As another means of reducing the negative impacts of domestic livestock loss to predation, ISLT supported the establishment of a livestock insurance program. This initiative was developed in collaboration with the village community council and included input gathered from other village members at community meetings. Regulations for the insurance program, such as procedures for verifying and paying claims and compensation levels for various livestock types and ages were crafted and agreed upon through mutual discussions with the village council and community. The project is locally managed, with a council of village members overseeing the collection of the monthly premiums, assessment of claims, and payments from the fund. In this, the first full year of the project, over 60% of families in the village took part. Covered livestock losses numbered 10 for the year (6 yaks and 4 donkeys) and total funds paid to the herders totaled $689.

The insurance coverage helps to mitigate the financial pressure that local people feel living a pastoralist lifestyle in close proximity to predators by providing an economic safety net. In many areas of the snow leopard’s range, when local people suffer livestock loss a common reaction is to hunt down and kill predators in their area. Keeping in mind that these peoples’ herds are their livelihood, it is easy to understand their motives. By providing another avenue of recourse that will help protect their financial well-being, the livestock insurance program is helping to reduce the levels of illegal poaching of snow leopards. Additionally, incentives are built into the program for participants to avoid livestock loss: rewards are paid out from the fund to herders who suffer no losses during the coverage year or to the herder who suffers the lowest levels of losses.

In exchange for our assistance in the development of these projects and other potential future initiatives, the village as a whole has pledged not to poach snow leopards or their prey species. Additionally, village members have helped to turn back other potential poachers from outside the village—clear evidence that our efforts are helping to change local peoples’ attitudes about wildlife.

In addition to these successful and pragmatic initiatives, ISLT’s India staff worked to produce a series of educational posters and accompanying information packets. These documents were created to inform school-age children about snow leopards, their habitat and behavior, threats to their survival, and actions that local people can take to help protect these beautiful creatures. The posters and packets have been distributed to local schools throughout India, and will also be displayed in prominent locations in project sites.

The India program as a whole is representative of the manner in which ISLT hopes to achieve its mission, by improving the lives of local people while taking a holistic approach to conservation. Changing attitudes and altering behavior through positive incentives are hallmarks to our approach, and we feel certain that this methodology will be successful in protecting the snow leopard for future generations.

KyrgyzRepublic

The major focus of ISLT’s efforts in the KyrgyzRepublic is to reduce poaching of snow leopards through economic incentive programs such as Snow Leopard Enterprises (SLE), which provides participants an opportunity to earn additional money through the sale of felted gifts and clothing. SLE began in the KyrgyzRepublic in 2002, and product quality and salability have been extremely high from the very beginning.

2003 saw important developments not just in the implementation of the SLE program in the KyrgyzRepublic but also in the ongoing development of the project as a whole. A design summit was held in June of 2003 in the KyrgyzRepublic, bringing together product designers from Mongolia and the KyrgyzRepublic along with retail experts from the United States to improve the salability of the product line in international markets.

The summit was a success on many levels. New product designs were introduced, evaluated, and re-worked by the summit participants, all with the aim of making sure the products will be of high quality and are well-received in the marketplace. Ensuring that the products meet the needs of the market will result in greater sales which in turn will lead to more benefits for the people living in remote snow leopard habitat. As the value to the participants of the SLE program increases, the level of their commitment to the conservation of the snow leopard also increases, making certain that ISLT has strong allies on the front lines of the fight to ensure the cats’ survival. The summit also brought together principle staff, participants, and partners involved in the project, allowing for the sharing of ideas and practices. SLE’s Mongolian designer met designers from the KyrgyzRepublic for the first time, and production trainers from both countries met and exchanged methods and skills.

Product production in our pilot project site in the KyrgyzRepublic grew substantially in 2003, as the participants in the remote village of Ak-Shiyrak sold twice as many products to ISLT as in the previous year. This increase in production was more than matched by an increase in quality of the finished products—the result of local training sessions implemented by ISLT’s in-country partner, the Community and Business Forum (CBF). An additional training session was held to introduce the new product designs developed at the Summit to the project participants. As a result of this hard work, ISLT has increased the number of items purchased from the village of Ak-Shyirak and ordered five new products. By making effective use of our network of zoo gift shops, specialty stores, and our online store at we plan to continue to increase sales, thus expanding the numbers of participating herders and villagers in snow leopard habitat. These efforts will make a palpable difference to the socio-economic conditions of the rural poor, thus strengthening their commitment and contribution to snow leopard conservation.

In 2003 the average Kygyz SLE participant earned more than $140. This may not seem like a large amount, but in local terms $140 is nearly equivalent to the annual salary for a teacher or a park ranger. SLE has provided over a 40% increase in these families’ annual salary. This is a tremendous contribution to the local community made possible thanks to the support of your organization. We can further measure the success of the program by the conservation report. There were no cases of poaching of either the snow leopard or prey species in the project areas or the surrounding region—proof positive that SLE is working to both increase local peoples’ incomes and protect snow leopards through engaging participants in community-based conservation efforts. ISLT works with local universities to monitor the project areas both for signs of illegal poaching and for increases or decreases in the density of snow leopard and prey species populations. The fact that no signs of poaching were found is an excellent indication that peoples’ attitudes towards wildlife are changing for the better. This is especially good news considering that the KyrgyzRepublic has seen a dramatic decline in snow leopard numbers in recent years.

As a result of the success of the SLE project in the pilot site of Ak-Shyirak, work is underway to expand the project to a second site in the village of Inilchek. Inilchek, like Ak-Shyirak, is situated in important snow leopard habitat near the Sarychat-Ertash State Reserve. Though the two sites both border the same reserve, they are distant from one another and represent the two main access points to the reserve. By focusing our efforts on these two strategic areas, SLE is ensuring that the benefits the project affords to wildlife will be distributed over a large area of vital habitat.

Two visits to the proposed project site at Inilchek were undertaken by ISLT and CBF staff in 2003, and linkages between SLE benefits and specific conservation measures were developed in conjunction with the local community. ISLT has high hopes for this second project site, and we feel confident that continued work on the development of the SLE program in the KyrgyzRepublic will pay definite and measurable dividends for snow leopards and the local people who share their homelands with the endangered cats.

Mongolia

In 2003, ISLT continued to support Snow Leopard Enterprises in Mongolia, the country in which the program began in 1999. Sales of products crafted by herders participating in the project grew by more than 100% in 2003. This growth in sales translated into a substantial increase in both the areas of protection afforded to snow leopards and in the impact the program has on the economic health of the participants. SLE project sites encompass XXX% of snow leopard habitat in Mongolia, and in 2003 there were no reports of poaching of snow leopards or their prey species in these areas.

ISLT also continued its successful collaboration with Peace Corps Mongolia. This longstanding partnership has produced cost-effective results in the areas of snow leopard research, education, and conservation. The dedicated volunteers of Peace Corps have made invaluable contributions over the years, and we are thankful for the opportunity to continue to work together to protect Mongolia’s wildlife.

Building on the success of the creation of a snow leopard education display board in 2001, the 2003 Peace Corps volunteers led the effort to create seven additional displays which have been installed in som (village) centers in western Mongolia, as well as in the National Park Office Information Center in the city of Bayan Ulgii and the airport in the town of Kovd. These boards provide information on a wide range of snow leopard-related topics, including their habitat, threats to their survival, tips on protecting livestock from snow leopard depredation, and details pertaining to ISLT’s Snow Leopard Enterprises income generation/wildlife conservation initiative. In addition, the boards include petitions that viewers can sign to show their support for snow leopard conservation. These signatures will be displayed along with the boards and in other prominent locations to demonstrate broad-based community support for conservation efforts. The information contained in the displays is presented in multiple languages so as to be useful to both local people and tourists.

Another important education-related effort that was successfully implemented by Peace Corps volunteers in 2003 was the organization of a three-day Ecology Teacher Workshop in Bayan Ulgii. This workshop brought together participants from the EcologyEducationCenter, based in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar; members of the Bayan Ulgii Women’s Federation; park rangers from the nearby Altai Bogd Strictly Protected Area; ISLT’s Mongolia-based staff; and educators from local soms. More than 50 participants shared experiences and information pertaining to environmental law, community action plans, student-based ecology clubs, and teaching methodologies. The three-day event was a great success, affording the various participants the opportunity to learn from colleagues and share their personal experiences and knowledge. The workshop was facilitated by funding support from our NPP supporters, as well as sponsorship from WWF-Mongolia, the Eastern Steppe Biodiversity Project, Bayan Ulgii Women’s Federation, the EcologyEducationCenter, and the Mongol Altain Nuruu Strictly Protected Areas Administration.

Since the transition to a market economy began in 1990, herd sizes in rural areas of Mongoliahave increased by 35%. This has greatly exacerbated the problem of overgrazing both within and outside the Strictly Protected Areas (SPAs). Many people lost jobs during this time and were forced to move into SPAs and boundary areas to make a living. This caused an increase in violations within the parks. With increased violations and few rangers to adequately protect these areas, problems such as an increase in forest and steppe fires, overgrazing, poaching, and plant collection have all increased in the last decade.

However, the rules and regulations governing the use of and passage through the SPAs vary from area to area, and local people are often unaware that they are violating rules designed to protect these sensitive regions. Peace Corps Mongolia volunteers made efforts to ensure that local people are better informed through the design, creation, and installation of signage that outlines the regulations pertaining to SPAs. These signs are placed at entry points to the protected areas and along SPA boundaries, and they will help to inform local people and tourists of regulations that pertain to specific zones in the SPAs. This project was made possible by support from WWF-Mongolia, USAID, and ISLT’s NPP participants.

ISLT’s partnership with Peace Corps Mongolia is also helping to keep tabs on population trends of snow leopards and their prey species. Peace Corps volunteers monitored existing Snow Leopard Information Management System (SLIMS) transects throughout the areas in Mongolia that represent snow leopard habitat, and also established new transects in regions thought to be hospitable to the cats. The monitoring of these trends is important for several reasons, not the least of which is that it helps ISLT to gauge the effectiveness of our Snow Leopard Enterprises project and other conservation initiatives.

Peace Corps Mongolia volunteers also participated in Rapid Rural Assessments in snow leopard habitat surrounding Khar Us Nuur National Park in an attempt to ascertain seasonal movement patterns, herd composition, and living standards of families living in this region. Efforts were also made to assess the opinions and awareness of the local people towards snow leopards and other conservation issues. This information is of vital importance to the development of effective community-based conservation initiatives.