Snow Leopard Friendly Livelihood Enhancement Programs
The context The snow leopard is a landscape species Harsh mountain landscape Local communities bearing the cost Reiterate the context Given the context of the SL being a landscape species, occuring in multiple use areas, not restricted to PAs, as are populations of other endangered wildlife, there is no other way but to involve communities if we want to have sustainable conservation programs. It is absolutely necessary.
Enabling communities to conserve Necessary and fair Livelihood enhancement It is essential to involve local communities deeply in conservation efforts. And indeed, it is the legitimate and fair thing to do, considering that it is essentially the local communities that are bearing the cost of conserving snow leopards, and it is the land they have used traditionally where we want to ensure the continued survival of this iconic cat. One of the important ways of involving communities sustainably is through livelihood enhancement. In the limited time, I will briefly try to provide an overview of the various kinds of initiatives that have taken place so far. At the outset I would like to acknowledge . Both conservationists and range country governments and wildlife managers have actually been involved in implementing such programs. In fact, we will be listening to one presentation shortly, by …, describing a range country government effort, right from policy to on ground action in livelihood enhancement. Many NGOs such as SLC – we will hear from Rod, WWF, and others have been involved in piloting such programs. The information I present is biased towards the programs that SLT and our partners have been involved in, and that is simply because of my greater familiarity with them.
Direct livelihood initiatives Snow Leopard Enterprises Trophy hunting Tourism Can be broadly categorized into two kinds: Directly Enhance livelihoods through programs like SLE, which will be talking about in some detail, rey trophy hunting that some countries have been successfully employing, such as Pakistan where it is well managed, and many other snow leopard range countries. Of course, though even in the case of well managed programs, the linkage with predator conservation is debated; though that is not a discussion I will get into tourism and homestays, which Rod Jackson will be talking about Stabilizing and consolidating livelihoods through better livestock care, veterinary support, offsetting livestock depredation losses.
Indirectly stabilizing and enhancing livelihoods Better livestock healthcare Reducing and offsetting depredation losses
Snow Leopard Enterprises Conservation linked handicrafts 15 years Field research and surveys market surveys training conservation agreementssupply chain monitoring and bonuses Average livelihood enhancement 25% 15 years of operation in Mongolia, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, India Focused on women Specifically targets women, though men are involved as well. This is important, as in most of the societies, by default, it is the men who tend to get involved in conservation programs. Our recent research is showing more negative attitudes of women towards snow leopards and other predators compared to men. This finding in the case of SL is consistent with what appears to be a global pattern, as a variety of studies with several species and in many parts of the world are finding this…women perhaps bear a greater burden of the hidden costs of conflict…
Micro-credit program 300 loans over the past 6 years 90% recovery
Livestock vaccination program 5-20% livestock lost to disease Access to vaccines, training of vaccinators Conservation and herd size commitments Disease losses down to 3.6 % Livestock is precious In some areas, a greater proportion of livestock lost to disease than to predators; not just mortality but also morbidity, reduced productivity 15% of household cash income (1.5 months) 12 communities in Chitral, 6 valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan 5 years
Corral improvement Multiple livestock kills Sharing of cost, material, technical expertise Predator proofing of corrals eliminates the risk of multiple kills of livestock, that are particularly damaging; many organizations such as SLT, WCS, SLC, and Governments in various countries and assisting communities.
Livestock insurance Up to 12% livestock lost to predators Compensation programs or insurance? Conservation funds Last 11 years in India -Pakistan, Nepal, Mongolia, China While corral improvement and vaccination reduce livestock losses, measures are needed when losses actually take place. In some areas, can be high, upto 12 % of livestock holdings based on what communities report; exaggerations, but high. Compensation for lost livestock: globally employed, but rarely successful…they don’t change peoples’ attitudes, and discontinuing them, as has often been the case as funding ran out, creates hostility. The amount compensated usually a fraction of the value. Government of India: Supplemented insurance fund… ownership, sustainability, robustness, adequacy
A few thoughts… Linkage to conservation useful Sustained dialogue, engagement and awareness programs essential Flexibility Long-term commitment Research and monitoring Inherent linkage such as corral improvement, insurance Process linkage such as conservation commitments in SLE, vaccination
The future Upscaling: Government NGO partnerships Need for enhanced and innovative livelihood programs