Empowered lives. Resilient nations. BALTISTAN WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (BWCDO) Pakistan Equator Initiative Case Studies Local sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES Local and indigenous communities across the world are development in marine, forest, grassland, dryland and advancing innovative sustainable development solutions wetland ecosystems. Selected from 806 nominations from that work for people and for nature. Few publications across 120 countries, the winners were celebrated at a gala or case studies tell the full story of how such initiatives event in New York, coinciding with Global Goals Week and evolve, the breadth of their impacts, or how they change the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly. Special over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories emphasis was placed on scalable, nature-based solutions with community practitioners themselves guiding the to address biodiversity conservation, climate change narrative. The Equator Initiative aims to fill that gap. adaptation, disaster risk reduction, gender equality, land The Equator Initiative, supported by generous funding rights, and food and water security to reduce poverty, from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation protect nature, and strengthen resilience. (NORAD) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), awarded the The following case study is one in a growing series that Equator Prize 2017 to 15 outstanding local community describes vetted and peer-reviewed best practices intended and indigenous peoples initiatives from 12 countries. to inspire the policy dialogue needed to scale nature- The winners were recognized for their significant work based solutions essential to achieving the Sustainable to advance nature-based solutions for sustainable Development Goals. PROJECT SUMMARY KEY FACTS Tackling acute human-snow leopard (Panthera uncia) Equator Prize Winner conflicts in Pakistan, Baltistan Wildlife Conservation 2017 and Development Organization (BWCDO) protects Baltistan’s snow leopards by providing economic Founded incentives to local farmers in 17 villages. BWCDO has created an innovative model of insurance schemes Project Snow Leopard (1999); formal registration as BWCDO and financial compensation against livestock losses (2007) following snow leopard attacks. Damages are paid Location after verification through joint decisions taken by BWCDO and Village Insurance Committees established Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan for this purpose. Through the organization’s work, communities have also set up predator-proof fencing, Beneficiaries received training to improve herding techniques, and Approximately 20,000 people in 17 villages throughout benefitted from vaccination campaigns that protect the Skardu, Shigar, and Khaplu Districts both livestock and wildlife. BWCDO’s achievements have reduced economic losses to farmers and mitigated Areas of focus conflict with the charismatic snow leopard. In parallel, Mountains; wildlife; sustainable local livelihoods; awareness BWCDO’s educational programme raises awareness and education and provides opportunities for girls, proactively engaging youth in conservation and development. Sustainable Development Goals Addressed sh Vakh 66° 68° 70° 72° Line Of Control as promulgated in Qarshi TAJIKISTAN the 1972 SIMLA Agreement PAKISTAN Dushanbe The boundaries and names shown and the designations used Am UZBEKISTAN on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance u D a by the United Nations. 38 ry Pan ° a ye j Qurghonteppa a- Dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control ry Mary Kerki a in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. D The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been Kulob agreed upon by the parties. Iolotan' Termiz Feyzabad- - Khorugh TURKMENISTAN ir am CHINA M - Kunduz - - P u Mazar-e Taloqan T r - r g a e Sheberghan n a d Sharif u H z b K Mt. Godwin h i 36 e - Austen (K2) n Baghlan m ° - 8611 m 36° a Samangan Chitral a k Gilgit h Meymaneh - s Jammul u Dowshi K a M Skardu org y ha- - - - NORTH-WEST b Charikar Saidu a Qal'eh-ye Now Bamian- -- - ontol Kabol f C and ine o s - FRONTIER L Herat - - (Kabul) Jalalabad- - - In Harirud Muzaffarabad Sopur dus Chaghcharan- Kargil 34 Kowt-e 'Ashrow Mardan Srinagar ° Khyber Pass 34° Baraki- Kashmir Peshawar Islamabad- - - AFGHANISTAN Parachinar Anantnag - Ghazni- Gardeyz Rajauri d Bannu Rawalpindi Shindand n a FED. CAPITAL lm - b e a TERRITORY - t H d FED. u - n Jammu - r a ISLAMABAD a Tarin Kowt h h Tank H g - ra ADMIN. m - Ar u elu Gujrat - h Farah L h a - - J r Delaram - -e TRIBAL Gujranwala Sialkot 32 a Qalat d F ow b 32 ° R AREAS Sargodha a ° en - sh - Dera Ismail Ch Lahore Amritsar Kha Kandahar - Khan Faisalabad Zaranj Lashkar Gah Zhob Kasur i Ludhiana Jhang Sadr av Chandigarh Chaman Zhob R Sahiwal Helmand PUNJAB Bhatinda 30 Quetta Patiala ° ej 30 Dera Ghazi Multan utl ° Gowd-e Zereh Khan S Shujaabad Sibi Bahawalpur Delhi Nok Kundi Dalbandin us - - d Hamun-i- Surab In New Delhi Mashkel- 28 Rahimyar Khan ISLAMIC° B ALOCHISTAN Jacobabad Bikaner 28° Khuzdar Shikarpur Ratangarh REPUBLIC OF Larkana an Sukkur ksh l Ramgarh INDIA Ra a IRAN Khairpur n Panjgur a i C Jaipur a k SIND Jaisalmer h s a Dadu r a Moro a Ajmer N M Turbat Bela I Nawabshaw as 26 n Jodhbur n ° d Sanghar a 26 t Hoshab u B ° ash s PAKISTAN D Mirpur Khas Barmer Kota Pasni Sonmiani Hyderabad Jiwani Gwadar Ormara Bay Matli Karachi Thatta Palanpur Udaipur 24° 24 M ° o Ran of Kutch ut I h nd of t us he Bhuj National capital Ahmadabad Provincial capital tch Town, village ARABIAN SEA Gulf ot Ku Airports 22 Jamnagar Rajkot ° International boundary Provincial boundary Bhavnagar 62° 64° Main road 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 km Gulf of Secondary road Khambhat Railroad 0 50 100 150 200 mi Diu 66° 68° 70° 72° Map No. 4181 Rev. 1 UNITED NATIONS Department of Peacekeeping Operations January 2004 Cartographic Section EQUATOR PRIZE 2017 WINNER FILM The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations or UNDP concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT On the rugged slopes of northern Pakistan, where three of while their income is mostly spent on additional livestock, the greatest mountain ranges in the world – the Himalayas, food, health, and education. the Karakorams, and the Hindu Kush – collide, humans and wildlife struggle to survive while facing significant These settlements share their homeland with a major threats such as a harsh landscape, isolation, and the threat predator, the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), a species of natural disasters that strike with little or no warning. often at the root of human-wildlife conflict because it preys upon domestic livestock, causing economic damage and As part of the 60 percent of the country’s population who threatening village-level food security. Retaliatory killing rely on nature for their daily subsistence, the small and by farmers has been a common response, even though isolated communities living in this region rely on natural the snow leopard is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN resources for food, fuel, and fodder. Their main economic Red List and its hunting is forbidden by law in Pakistan. activities are agriculture, livestock rearing, and tourism, Origin and Structure The Baltistan Wildlife Conservation and Development ■ Acknowledge the social and economic implications Organization (BWCDO) is working to change human- of the snow leopard conservation approach. snow leopard relationship dynamics. BWCDO, formerly ■ Create an economic incentive for local farmers to recognized as Project Snow Leopard (PSL), is a non-profit reduce conflict between them and the snow leopards. organisation registered under the 1984 Companies ■ Find solutions to the predation of livestock. Ordinance, working in Baltistan since 1999. In 2007, it was ■ Renovate the traditional herding techniques. registered under its current name. BWCDO is dedicated to supporting local communities In 1999, the organisation set up a pilot insurance scheme rather imposing top-down schemes. The organisation in Skoyo Village to compensate losses of livestock. Through operates under the rationale that facilitating local this work, farmers and communities came to understand ownership of the project will empower communities and that they can benefit more from protecting the snow ultimately ensure the long-term success of the project. leopard than by killing it. The project proved successful Over the years, the work of BWCDO has evolved to in decreasing snow leopard retaliatory killings and include livestock vaccination programs against diseases improving the local economy. Since its launch, the project transmittable to wildlife’ preparation of predator-proof has expanded to 17 villages, benefiting approximately corrals for small ruminants; small-scale water supply 20,000 people in the Skardu, Shigar, and Khaplu Districts, projects to garner increased local support to protect the covering nearly 500,000 hectares in the Baltistan region of snow leopards and their prey; and educational support to northern Pakistan. community girls, and education and awareness activities. BWCDO’s mission is to find the ways and means to plan for The decision-making