SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVANCY INDIA TRUST
Promotion of innovative grass-root measures that encourage local people to become better stewards of the endangered snow leopards, their prey and habitats.
ATCF Contribution: $20,000
Grant Awarded: 2018
Location: Indian Trans-Himalaya, India
IMPACT: conservation of the highly endangered snow leopard
The Himalayan Homestays Program enables tourists to learn about local culture first-hand and enables local people to generate income that offsets livestock loss to snow leopards, thereby improving people's attitude towards this otherwise despised cat. The snow leopard is a highly threatened species living in the high mountains of Central and South Asia. There not more than 7000 individuals left in the wild. Since most of the indigenous people in these mountainous areas are pastoralists, there is a growing conflict between farmers and snow leopards, which often raid livestock corrals at night and kill multiple livestock. Therefore, the local people despise the cat, and irate farmers often kill the cat in retaliation. The Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust (SLC-IT) has been striving hard to reduce this conflict through incentive programs so that local farmers become conservation partners. The primary goal of this project is to improve livelihoods of local communities so that they have a more positive attitude towards the snow leopard. The award-winning Himalayan Homestays Program has been very successful in achieving this.
The ATCF and its members have awarded Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust $20,000 for working in the Indian Trans-Himalaya for the conservation of the highly endangered snow leopard.
the issue
The snow leopard is a highly threatened species living in the high mountains of Central and South Asia. There not more than 7000 individuals left in the wild. Since most of the indigenous people in these mountainous areas are pastoralists, there is a growing conflict between farmers and snow leopards, which often raid livestock corrals at night and kill multiple livestock. Therefore, the local people despise the cat, and irate farmers often kill the cat in retaliation. The Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust (SLC-IT) has been striving hard to reduce this conflict through incentive programs so that local farmers become conservation partners.
THE GOAL
Twenty homestay packages will be provided in five villages
75 garbage bins will be provided to the homestay villages
More than 30 nature guides trained
Up to 30% increase in the income of people
Positive attitude towards the snow leopard (assessed through pre- and post-project attitude survey) among more than 300 villagers.
PROJECT UPDATES
MORE ABOUT Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust
Promotion of innovative grass-root measures that encourage local people to become better stewards of the endangered snow leopards, their prey and habitats. Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust (SLC-IT) is an NGO working in the Indian Trans-Himalaya for the conservation of the highly endangered snow leopard. Co-founded in 2003 by Mr. Rinchen Wangchuk, a Ladakhi mountaineer and conservationist, SLC-IT has established itself as one of the most productive and successful conservation organizations in the Himalayas. Our programs are meticulously designed to conserve the mountain ecosystems in collaboration with local communities. We focus primarily on building local stewardship through community-based tourism, education and research in Ladakh, where snow leopards and wolves, once disdained as pests and adversaries because of frequent livestock depredation, are now considered as Ri Gyancha or 'ornaments of the mountains'. enthusiast.
