International Snow Leopard Day Observed

Like other parts of the globe, the International Snow Leopard Day was celebrated in Pakistan to renew the commitment of protecting and conserving the snow leopard, its habitat and the ecosystem.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Oct, 2018 ) :Like other parts of the globe, the International Snow Leopard Day was celebrated in Pakistan to renew the commitment of protecting and conserving the snow leopard, its habitat and the ecosystem.

In this regard, an event was organized by Snow Leopard Foundation in collaboration with Ministry of Climate Change and other partners here on Tuesday.

Pakistan has endorsed the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Programme (GSLEP) by developing its National Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Priorities (NSLEP) and joined other snow leopard rang countries for achieving the goal of "securing 20 landscapes by 2020" three of which falls in Pakistan, speakers said.

The audience on the event appreciated the screening of documentary by Snow Leopard Foundation "Science, Society and Snow Leopards". An act by schoolchildren and announcement of poster competition were also part of the event. The poster competition was arranged one month earlier as part of the snow leopard day celebrations in snow leopard communities.

Pakistan is an active member of GSLEP process and chaired the GSLEP steering committee for three years. Three GSLEP model landscapes; Karakoram-Pamir, Himalayas and Hindu kush, falls in Pakistan. The speakers talked about the measures to impart ground-breaking impact in context of conserving these ecosystems such as: establishing endowment fund to encourage community's active participation in conservation by providing safety net against predation losses and incentives to improve natural habitats in their valleys.

By establishing National Wildlife Institute to provide a platform for professional training of wildlife professionals of all levels/cadres and foster systematic ecological research to understand ecology and conservation needs of threatened species of Pakistan. To establishing Information Centres to promote awareness about snow leopards, prey species and the values of snow leopard ecosystem, and to engage youth in conservation activities. The products of Snow Leopard Enterprise were also put on display so showcase the crafts produced by female artisans from snow leopard range communities. These women are trained by Snow Leopard Foundation team of women in order to enhance their skills which can help the local communities to improve their household livelihood. The International Snow Leopard Day was initiated by the countries that encompass the snow leopard's range. They include Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. On October 23, 2013 they signed the Bishkek Declaration on the conservation of snow leopard at the First Global Snow Leopard Forum that took place in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.