Insuring the Survival of the Snow Leopard By Heather Millar hen he first came across a “Shafqat Hussain’s project deserves and snow leopards, with little long-term paw print of a snow leopard, support, because it touches a worldwide success. “There’s a history of insurance Shafqat Hussain was hiking issue – predators versus human attempts programs failing,” explains Brad Rutherford, high above the tree line in to preserve their livestock,” says Mark executive director of the Seattle-based Wwhat’s often called “Little Tibet,” the Shuttleworth, a South African technology International Snow Leopard Trust. Baltistan region of Pakistan’s Northern entrepreneur and one of the 2006 Rolex “Typically, they’re set up by the government, Areas near Kashmir. The track, large and judges. underfunded and undermonitored. Soon wide like the snowshoes used to manage As they roam the forbidding peaks of there are too many claims and not enough the snows of Central Asia’s high peaks, Central Asia, snow leopards face threats money. Then the program goes bust, and was but a few hours old. Hussain bent from many fronts. Though trade in snow villagers end up being even more angry at down to press his face to the indentation. leopards is banned by the Convention on the animal you’re trying to protect.” “I still don’t know why I did it,” says International Trade in Endangered Species To try to move beyond this flawed Hussain, an economist-turned-environ- of Wild Fauna and Flora, their pelts bring dynamic, Hussain hit upon an original, mental-activist who is a Ph.D. candidate at high prices on the black market, often two-pronged strategy: first, he set up a F&ES and in the anthropology department. equivalent to an entire year’s income for a village-administered, livestock co-insurance “I just got this wonderful feeling, to connect, mountain villager. In booming East Asia, arrangement that discourages fraud; then, to see that ‘Oh, this animal was right here.’ their various body parts are increasingly he linked the insurance system to a snow The snow leopard has a mythical feel to it.” prized as ingredients for traditional medi- leopard ecotourism venture. The pooled Generations from now, people may cines. At the same time, subsistence herders money from locals, plus income from the still be able to have that sort of experience, with growing families push their animals tourists, helps make the program self- thanks in part to an inventive insurance higher and higher up the mountain slopes sustaining. In good years, the funds may program Hussain designed to protect to find more forage for their flocks. This even support community improvement the cats, which have been on the World has the effect of taking food away from projects like building wells and upgrading Conservation Union (IUCN) list of endan- wild prey species like blue sheep (bharal). sheep corrals. gered species since 1972. The plan seeks As wild prey populations to discourage villagers from killing snow decrease, leopards sometimes leopards that occasionally attack their have no choice but to venture herds. Many studies have concluded that down from their mountaintops these retaliatory killings of snow leopards to hunt at village elevations, remain one of the greatest threats to the especially in winter when survival of the species in the wild. food is scarce. Occasionally, a Last October, Rolex SA, the Swiss leopard will get into a pen watch company, recognized Hussain’s and become frenzied, killing Project Snow Leopard as truly innovative, dozens of animals at once. naming him one of five associate laureates Understandably, these losses of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise. The enrage villagers, who live awards, presented every other year since close to the edge both physi- 1976, recognize and support pioneering cally and economically and work that advances human knowledge and for whom the taking of even well-being. The 2006 awards committee one goat or sheep is a devas- picked Hussain’s project from a pool of tating blow. 1,671 entries from 117 countries, also Around the world, vari- Shafqat Hussain’s Project Snow Leopard was granting him $50,000 to continue his work. ous insurance schemes have introduced near Skardu and his doctoral research Five laureates received $100,000 awards. attempted to insure locals takes place near Gilgit. Both towns are located against livestock killings by in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Left, a snow leopard in captivity. endangered predators like lions Spring 2007 environment:YALE 35 Shafqat Hussain, second from right, talks to the members of the Hushey community in the Baltistan region of northern Pakistan about his insurance program and their views about the conflict between snow leopards and humans. Hussain, who grew up the son of a civil servant in Lahore, Pakistan, didn’t set out to crusade for the snow leopard. He came to the United States to study economics at Thierry Grobet Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After “We got all the villagers to participate,” Most scientists believe that the snow graduation, he returned to Pakistan to Hussain explains. “And we’ve had no leopard’s numbers are decreasing mainly work in the Northern Areas for the Aga complaints that losses were not verified or because of poaching and reprisals from Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP). that claims have been fraudulent.” locals. That’s difficult to prove definitively, He lived in Skardu, a town of 50,000 that Project Snow Leopard has been so though, since populations are estimated by mountaineers and trekkers use as a staging successful in the villages of the Skoyo and indirect evidence, such as tracks, interviews area for expeditions to the many 26,000- Basha valleys, where it has been instituted, with locals and the remains of kills. foot peaks in the nearby Western Himalaya, that Hussain is fielding inquiries from all The cat is so reclusive and hard to Hindu Kush and Karakorum ranges. In over the world. He juggles these calls while track that it has taken on an aura of myth. addition to tourism, the local economy also finishing his thesis at F&ES, writing Only two Westerners have seen snow depends on the production and trade of an historical analysis of the changing con- dried apricots, walnuts and almonds. ception of nature and society in the Hunza AKRSP, Hussain says, focused on small region. Organizations in India, Nepal and “Shafqat Hussain’s project infrastructure projects that would increase Mongolia are either cooperating with agricultural productivity: better water Project Snow Leopard or starting their own deserves support, because it channels, better varieties of seeds, better programs modeled on his approach. touches a worldwide issue – farming practices. Hussain worked as a The snow leopard, if you can catch a monitoring and evaluation officer, traveling predators versus human attempts glimpse of one, is a graceful predator, with through the region and judging the success a luminous soft grey coat marked with to preserve their livestock.” of various programs. “My job was to go rosettes of black on brown and a long tail out in the field and talk to villagers,” that helps it to balance and also doubles as Mark Shuttleworth Hussain says. “I would get their feedback, a muffler in bitter weather. A bridge species ask them whether programs were working between smaller felines like bobcats and or not. Villagers often complained about great cats like lions and tigers, the leopard leopards in the wild since 1950. Author the depredations of wild animals. But our rules at the top of the food chain in the Peter Matthiessen wandered around the work had nothing to do with that.” mountain ecosystems that include famous Himalayas with Schaller for a year hoping At the same time, in the late 1990s, peaks like K2 and Mount Everest. to see one. He ended up with a famous the IUCN began a multimillion-dollar, No one’s sure exactly how many snow book, The Snow Leopard, but never set seven-year project to conserve wildlife in leopards (Uncia uncia) remain in the wild. eyes on the object of his search. the area. In concert with the wildlife The accepted estimates range from 3,000 “It’s so incredibly rarely seen, so elusive,” department of the Northern Areas region, to 7,000. Only two population studies of says Rodney Jackson, founder and director the IUCN focused on large ungulates, like the animals in Pakistan have ever been of the Snow Leopard Conservancy, based the Himalayan ibex (Capra ibex sibirica), attempted – one in 1974 by noted biologist in Sonoma, Calif. “But if you protect a few markhor (Capra falconeri) and a local George Schaller (now director of science for snow leopards, you also protect everything species of wild goat. The goal was to blend the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation in their large habitat – the plants, the conservation with a trophy-hunting pro- Society) and another by Hussain in 2003. mammals, everything.” gram that would show locals the value of 36 environment:YALE The School of Forestry & Environmental Studies saving these species. the value of the goat. Each year, the village way: “First villagers have to verify the kill That was great for the public apprecia- loses 1 to 2 percent of the herd from snow and the value of the animal. Then they tion of these wild grazing animals, Hussain leopard attacks. When we told them that look to Fund 1 and see how much that noticed, but not so great for the snow Project Snow Leopard would also chip in person has contributed. The person first gets leopard. As Hussain traveled through the money, they all agreed. Villagers administer reimbursed from his own contributions.