Context:
The environment ministry in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been implementing a unique model ‘Secure Himalaya’ project to conserve the habitats of Snow Leopards so that more and more people can have an opportunity to spot them.
- The project is highlighted as winters are approaching, which is the right time to catch a sight of the elusive big cats.
About
- The ‘Secure Himalaya’ project is funded by the Global Environment Facility.
- It supports the government’s efforts for conservation of snow leopard and its habitat by developing and implementing a landscape-based approach for Himalayan ecosystems, and addresses key issues of habitat degradation, threatened livelihoods and illegal trade in wildlife.
- It was launched in 2017.
Project Landscapes:
- Changthang, Ladakh Landscape, Jammu & Kashmir
- Lahaul-Pangi and Kinnaur Landscapes
- Gangotri-Govind and Darma-Byans Landscapes
- Khangchendzonga-upper Teesta Valley
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Components of the Project:
- Conservation of key biodiversity areas and their effective management to secure long-term ecosystem resilience, habitat connectivity and conservation of snow leopard and other endangered species.
- Securing sustainable community livelihood and natural resource management in high range Himalayan ecosystems.
- Enhancing enforcement, monitoring and cooperation to reduce wildlife crime and related threats.
- Gender Mainstreaming, Monitoring, evaluation and knowledge management.
The Species Profile:
- Snow leopards live in the mountainous regions of Central and Southern Asia.
- In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas
- Status: In the IUCN-World Conservation Union's Red List of Threatened Species, the snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable.
- o The species is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which makes the trading of animal body parts (i.e., fur, bones and meat) illegal in signatory countries.
- In India, the snow leopard is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, giving it the highest protection status under the country's laws.
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