On the occasion of International Snow leopard Day that is celebrated worldwide on October 23, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) the Committee of Environmental Protection of Tajikistan has organized a conference to promote conservation of the snow leopard in Tajikistan.
According to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Resident Office in Tajikistan, the event brought together over fifty experts, scientists, government and nongovernment organizations, including, National Park, National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Global Environment Facility Project, Association of Hunters of Tajikistan and many other entities that are engaged in conservation of the snow leopard and other ecosystem related issues in Tajikistan.
The conference was reportedly organized to facilitate the review of organizations’ activities mainstreamed towards the fulfillment of the National Action Plan and commitments on conservation of the snow leopard in Tajikistan for the years 2020-2024.
Powerful, captivating and incredibly vulnerable to poaching and loss of prey, snow leopards are sparsely distributed across central Asian countries and are usually found in high, rugged mountain landscapes at elevations of 3,000 – 4,500m. Recognizing the threat to snow leopards, governments of Central Asian countries have committed to coordinate their actions towards safeguarding these endangered feline species while joining the Bishkek Declaration on the Conservation of Snow Leopards in 2012. Tajikistan has approved a law against poaching and killing of snow leopards and committed to protecting the snow leopards’ habitat, as part of the Bishkek declaration. AKAH Tajikistan is working closely with the government, civil society and other NGOs to find ways to mitigate human wildlife conflict and contribute to snow leopard habitat and ecosystem protection in the country. Investing in the snow leopards’ fragile mountain habitat to ensure biodiversity conservation and sustainable development for the communities that share it is critical to these efforts.
The CEO of AKAH Tajikistan, Mr. Nawab Khan, said: “Human wildlife conflict poses a huge threat to snow leopards and communities’ livelihoods in mountainous areas of Tajikistan, in particular the Pamir Mountains. Mainly, livestock killing by snow leopards inside corrals and animal-sheds occurs regularly, resulting in major loss of resources and negative impact on the well-being and livelihoods of people in remote mountain areas. As part of the world's ecosystems, wildlife provides balance and stability to nature's processes, thus the goal of wildlife conservation is to ensure the survival of these species, and to educate people on living sustainably with other species, which AKAH jointly with its government partners is addressing through education and outreach programs, encouraging local people to value their forests and the amazing wildlife living in them, finding ways to improve the communities’ understanding and capacity to adapt and respond to human-wildlife conflicts and keeping a pulse of snow leopard population using robust monitoring tools, which are amongst the most important steps practiced worldwide. This issue couldn’t be managed and resolved alone, thus, a joint effort of all the concerned parties in the country is strongly encouraged in order to achieve desirable results and bring positive impacts.”
About 10 presentations related to sustainable conservation of high mountains ecosystems and effective management of snow leopard habitat were reportedly presented by participants and followed by series of discussions on snow leopard protection, including studies on the ways and methods of reducing human -wildlife conflict, methods of facilitating long-term conservation plans in snow leopard range countries, comprehensive transboundary collaboration, advocacy, and strategies with other neighboring countries and scientific research methods on protection and conservation of this valuable species and its habitat in the country.
Bringing together representatives of various organizations, the conference aimed to further enhance the visions, plans and country’s strategies about the snow leopard population and its conservation and protection approaches at all levels.
The conference was supported the Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan Fund for Environment (PSAKFE).
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), which merges the capabilities of Focus Humanitarian Assistance, the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, and the Aga Khan Development Network’s Disaster Risk Management Initiative, focuses on preparing for both sudden and slow-onset disasters. AKAH works to ensure that people live in physical settings that are as safe as possible from the effects of natural disasters; that residents who do live in high-risk areas are able to cope with disasters in terms of preparedness and response; and that these settings provide access to social and financial services that lead to greater opportunity and a better quality of life. Initially, priority areas of AKAH will include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and India.
