2008 International Conference on Rangewide Conservation Plan Ning
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2008 International Conference on Rangewide Conservation Plan ning for Snow Leopards: Saving the Species Across its Range Nicole Williams1 ver 100 snow leopard ex some of the world’s leading researchers perts, enthusiasts, and go to share expertise on snow leopard con- Overnment officials gathered servation and research methods. The in the outskirts of Beijing, China participants were warmly welcomed from March 7–11, 2008 for the first- by the hosts, the Chinese Institute of ever International Conference on Zoology and the Chinese Academy Rangewide Conservation Planning of Sciences. Keynote speeches by Dr. for Snow Leopards. Conference or George Schaller, one of the first people ganizers included Panthera, Wildlife to study the elusive snow leopard in the Conservation Society (WCS), Snow late 1970s, and Dr. Urs Breitenmoser, Leopard Trust (SLT), Snow Leopard co-Chair of the IUCN Cat Specialist Network (SLN), and the Chinese In Group, outlined the biggest challenge stitute of Zoology. facing snow leopard conservation: wor- king with local communities on long Snow leopards are found in 12 term conservation plans for the entire countries of Central Asia in some of the ecosystem. Dr. Tom Kaplan, Founder harshest and hardest to reach places on and Executive Chairman of Panthera, earth. There are thought to be between also spoke of defining specific tou comes 4,500 and 7,350 snow leopards inhabi- for conservation action and offered ting some 1,853,000 km2 of potential Panthera’s partnership and collaborati- habitat (McCarthy & Chapron 2003). on, backed by substantial resources, to Tom Kaplan, Chairman of Panthera, with Aleksandr Vereshagin from Kyrgyzstan These estimates are based on an im- all participants. (Photo J. Brannon). portant basic biological requirement of Presentations were then given on snow leopards: mountain ranges. Using current best practices in community this principle, potential range maps for based conservation initiatives, includ- snow leopards were created in 1997 ing handicraft programs, small-scale A Vision (Jackson & Hunter 1997) and validated ecotourism, livestock husbandry impro- for Snow Leopards with historical data in 2006 (Williams vements, trophy hunting, and conserva- over the next century 2006). Despite these efforts to define tion education initiatives. Management potential snow leopard range, there is issues such as law enforcement, land- A world where snow leopards and an enormous lack of information about scape level planning, and transboundary their wild prey thrive in healthy snow leopard status in most areas where protected areas were discussed. A vari- mountain ecosystems across all they are found. ety of cutting edge research and moni- major ecological settings of their Range-wide conservation planning toring techniques were then reviewed, entire range, and where snow le- is an attempt to close that gap. In brin- including occupancy models, camera opards are revered as unique eco- ging together experts from 11 of the 12 trapping, genetic techniques, scat detec- logical, economic, aesthetic and range countries, the 2008 conference tion dogs, GPS telemetry, and prey mo- spiritual assets. was able to map specific and local nitoring. Country teams also reported knowledge about snow leopard range on the status of snow leopard action and determine Snow Leopard Conser- plans across the region. The major ecological settings were vation Units, areas which are the most In a highly participatory approach, defined as: Altai-Sayan, Trans-Altai important for conserving snow leopards the range-state government officials – Alashan Gobi, Tian Shan, Pamir, over the long-term. The process high- and conservationists and researchers Hindu-Kush, Karakorum, Himalayas, lighted areas where knowledge of snow were then charged with using the new Hengduan Mountains, and Tibetan leopard status is strong and where it is range maps and Snow Leopard Conser- Plateau. The entire range is defined by lacking, and resulting maps will provi- vation Units to develop country speci- the potential range analysis conducted de biologists and conservationists with fic actions that should be undertaken in in a workshop during this conference. a more strategic approach to snow leo- the next several years if snow leopards pard conservation and research. are to be conserved over the long term. Finally, the conference participants After two days of intense mapping, Each country’s plan was designed with developed a set of resolutions on long- the conference provided a venue for the following shared vision in mind: term conservation of snow leopards. CAT News 48 33 ment relevant to snow leopard con- servation. A full report, inclusive of all coun- try-specific actions and the new range map, will soon be available from the co-organizers and will also be found on the Snow Leopard Network web- site: www.snowleopardnetwork.org References Hunter, D.O. and R. Jackson. 1997. A ran- ge-wide model of potential snow leopard habitat. Pages 51-56 in: R. Jackson and A. Ahmad (editors). Proceedings of the 8th International Snow Leopard Sympo- sium, Islamabad, November 1995. In- ternational Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle and WWF-Pakistan, Lahore. McCarthy, T. M. and G. Chapron. 2003. Snow Leopard Survival Strategy. ISLT Rodney Jackson, George Schaller, Joe Fox, and Dawa Tsering discuss the status of snow leo- and SLN, Seattle, USA. pards in Tibet (Photo E. Sanderson). Williams, P.A. 2006. A GIS assessment of snow leopard potential range and pro- tected areas throughout inner Asia; and To accomplish this goal each range Snow Leopard Network for the ex- the development of an internet mapping country must: change of information at the national service for snow leopard protection. MA · Expedite development of a Snow and international level. thesis, University of Montana, Missou- Leopard Action Plan, or implement · Range state governments will deve- la, Montana. existing plans to the fullest extent. lop mechanisms to promote trans- · Designate a national snow leopard boundary cooperation on matters 1 Panthera <[email protected]> representative to coordinate with the such as trade, research and manage- Breaking down the borders! Can we see the populations behind the administration? John Linnell1 and Valeria Salvatori2 t is safe to say that there have not On one level this involves adap- ample between the Jura and the Alps been more Eurasian lynx (Lynx ting management scale to the scale at in Switzerland. By robust management Ilynx) in Europe for several cen which a species lives. Eurasian lynx we mean that the unit for making ma- turies. The last 50 years have seen the in Europe use home ranges from 100 nagement decisions should be the ac- natural recovery of the Scandinavian, km2 (in Poland) to more than 1000 tual populations on the ground, regar- Baltic and Carpathian populations. km2 in Norway. Population densities dless of how their alignment relates to The tiny Balkan population has per are correspondingly low – typically administrative borders. sisted. A total of 15 reintroduction att being from 0.3 – 3/100 km2. The result Both the Council of Europe’s Bern empts have been made. The sum total is that the existing populations often Convention (1979) and the Europe- of all this is that we are no longer tal spread across many administrative an Union’s Habitats Directive (1992) king about a crisis action of rescuing borders, including those of protected aspire to contribute to the conservati- a species from the edge of extinction areas, municipalities, counties, and on of wide ranging species, however (although the Balkan population is of nations. For example the Carpathian so far they have done this by simply great conservation concern). Instead population spreads across eight coun- getting countries to declare a common we are trying to reintegrate the lar tries. However, lynx can also be quite goal as by definition the scope of im- ge carnivore species (Table 1) into sensitive to habitat fragmentation, such plementation of their regulations is at our landscapes and moving towards that there is actually minimal exchange country level. Now, there is an inno- a long term, robust and flexible ma of individuals between populations in vative process being launched by the nagement system. close proximity to each other, for ex- European Union to promote populati- 34 Spring 2008.