Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust 2000-2007 SHAN Hemis Community Initiates Conservation In This Edition of the Great Tibetan Sheep hemis community initiates conserva- WITH GROWING AWARENESS ABOUT conservation and substantial tion of the great tibetan sheep economic benefits from the Himalayan Homestays programme, the Who We Are Rumbak village community has decided to give a fighting chance to the small Argali population and promote it as a village tourism asset. Predator-Proofing Livestock Pens Ecotourism Standing 110-120 cms tall at shoulder level, the Tibetan Argali is the Snow Leopard Conservation world’s largest wild sheep and among the rarest species found in Ladakh. Education Programme Popularly known as the Great Tibetan Sheep, Argalis are highly threatened, with only about 2,000 of them left in the wild today. The Hemis National Research & Monitoring Park area currently harbours approximately 20 of these wild ungulates, which may not be a viable population for survival. The main reason for their low and stagnant numbers has been competition for grazing from MISSION domestic livestock and limited habitat within the Hemis National Park. Since its inception in 2000 Responding to this critical situation, the Rumbak community has decided to create a grazing reserve for the Argali by banning the grazing of all (formally registered in 2003), domestic livestock in the area north of the Gandala Trail, known to be the the Snow Leopard Conservancy preferred habitat of these magnificent wild sheep. India Trust (SLC-IT) has been dedicated to promoting community- Rinchen Wangchuk, Snow Leopard Conservancy-India Trust’s programme director says, “when we started the programme back in 2000, villagers based stewardship of the endangered responded by asking us why we had chosen to name our organization after snow leopard, its prey and habitat such a despised animal (namely, the snow leopard). to the benefit of local people Today, conservation initiatives such as this from the community display real ecotourism models, and the environment in the where the word “eco” is not just about eco- trans-Himalayan regions of nomics but about real conservation linkages with Ladakh and Zanskar. threatened species.” Who We Are Making Snow Leopards Worth THE SOLUTIONS to these problems, More Alive Than Dead however, are straightforward. SLC-IT believes that truly sustainable conservation RATIONALE comes from participation & stewardship Snow leopards are the barometers of a by the entire community. healthy ecosystem in the high mountain- ous regions they inhabit. In other words, To begin with, villagers have been mobilized a healthy snow leopard population is the to predator-proof their pens to prevent sign of a healthy habitat, and conservation livestock losses. Next, a range of economic of this elusive cat leads to the conservation measures requiring minimal investment of the entire ecosystem. All across the snow have been introduced that provide incen- Studying blue sheep horns during a Nature Guides’ training session in Tangyar pasture leopard’s range in the high mountain ranges tives to herders to preserve wildlife and of Central and South Asia, humans threaten natural habitat. The additional income has These initiatives have been greatly bolstered the cat’s survival. There are roughly just also helped offset livestock losses caused by by a conservation education programme 4,000–7,000 snow leopards left in the wild snow leopards, wolves that is raising awareness among children and (India is home to approximately 500). The and other predators. herding communities, with the objective of cats are poached for their skin, organs and making them future stewards of bone. Another threat comes from hunters The community-based their environment. It is a col- who deplete their mainstay prey. Lastly, tourism project Hima- laborative effort between snow leopards suffer from escalating con- layan Homestays is one such SLC-IT & Kalpavriksh, a flicts with locals who share their habitat. In initiative. Traditional home- Pune-based environmen- Ladakh, socio-economic changes have led to stays offer tourists an authentic tal action group. more children going to school, leaving fewer cultural experience while trek- people at home to tend livestock. This has king through rugged snow leop- Clearly, the solution lies resulted in lax herding practices. ard habitat. They also increase the in building the capacity of stake that local communities have local communities to better The Tibetan Argali or in conserving the wildlife and envi- Great Tibetan Sheep their lives while simultane- ronment that draws visitors to their ously protecting wildlife & homes. Income goes directly to local fami- the environment. In doing so, we can trans- lies, who use 10% of their profits to supple- form perceptions towards snow leopards, ment a village conservation fund, which in from perceived threats into valued assets, turn supports activities like tree plantation, worth more alive than dead, whose presence livestock insurance, garbage management & draws visitors & provides economic oppor- restoration of cultural features. tunities throughout the region. This is the strongest prescription for sustainable, long- Another economic incentive has been the term conservation with local people acting setting up of environment-friendly para- as stewards of the elusive snow leopard. chute cafés, run cooperatively by the village women’s group. Selling traditional Ladakhi dishes, handicrafts & solar-cooked filtered water (which helps reduce the plastic bottle menace), this project strengthens the in- come-generation skills of women. Poster for Hemis Community’s Argali Reserve Next, a programme has been initiated to train youth as nature guides. Supported Livestock, meanwhile, has become some- by the J&K Wildlife Department, it also thing of a free and easy meal for the big cats, trains them to monitor snow leopard and either while grazing free-range on open pas- prey populations using cyber trackers, which tures or when corralled in poorly-built pens. helps to evaluate the effectiveness of the in- A single attack often results in multiple kill- terventions. SLC-IT introduces its interven- ings (some times up to 50 sheep and goats), tions on the premise of a firm commitment leaving angered herders with little choice from locals that they will ensure no killings but to kill the endangered cats. of predators, especially snow leopards. Rumbak village, the site of several homestays Programme 1: Reducing Depredation Losses by Predator-Proofing Livestock Pens Rationale like a sturdy door and impen- SLC-IT began its programme in 2000 in etrable roof which used wire the 3,350 sq km Hemis National Park after meshing supported by wooden a survey in 1998 showed that people of the poles. Villagers provided local Markha Valley and surrounding hamlets materials such as stone and mud lost 12.4% of their livestock to predators for the walls and free over a 14-month period (late 1997-early labour, while 1999). The average loss per household was SLC-IT 6 animals (Rs 13,000/-) while the total loss provided in the park was 492 animals (Rs 10 lakhs the door and or US$ 23,250). This was a significant loss poles and wire An exasperated snow leopard walks away after trying to for these pastoralists. About 81% of the meshing for the roof. attack livestock housed securely in a predator-proof pen losses were to sheep & goats and 58% of the On-going innova- depredation came from snow leopards, 32% tions by villagers had reduced from 38.2% (according to from wolves & 10% from smaller preda- have resulted in pens becoming even more the 1999 survey) to less than 1% tors. Significantly, 61.8% of losses occurred cost effective (such as in Ulley), where (To redress the possibility of there being gaps in in open pastures while 38.2% occurred in villagers did away with extra walls and poles, the data collected, SLC-IT plans to conduct a corrals. Although total losses were higher without compromising on the sturdiness more thorough survey at a later date) in open pastures, the average loss per attack of the pens. by snow leopards in corrals was high (up to 50 animals killed in one attack versus 1-2 OUtoMES OF PREVENTIVE animals killed per attack in open pastures). MEASURES to MITIGate Retributive killings of snow leopards were CONFLICTS largely fuelled by multiple killings of live- • It is estimated that each community stock in corrals and it was clear there was a predator-proof corral saves 2-5 snow critical need for intervention in this area. leopards from retribution • SLC-IT has predator-proofed 22 THE ProCESS community livestock enclosures & 21 Curtailing multiple killings of livestock by individual pens across 19 villages snow leopards within corrals is a major fo- • In villages where livestock pens have cus of SLC-IT’s interventions. The team be- been improved, no revenge killings have gan by encouraging locals to participate in been recorded planning & solutions, thus drawing on local • A survey conducted in Hemis National knowledge regarding livestock movements, Park in 2004-2005 showed that total Sheep and goats huddle together in their new predator-proof pen whose roof & door will pre- depredation hotspots and traditional guard- livestock losses from within enclosures vent attacks from snow leopards, Tangyar village ing and corral-building methods. Through discussions, the causes of livestock depreda- “We villagers are very tion were found to be: poorly constructed relieved to have these corrals (built without roofs leaving livestock wide open to predators), lax daytime guard- improved pens. Not only ing & animal husbandry practices, little use because our livestock is safer, of guard dogs and placement of livestock but because our lives are pens in prime predator habitat. now better. We can sleep at INNOVatiVE SOLUTIONS home instead of miles away The outcome of the planning sessions was a on the cold ground guard- simple but effective solution to depredation ing our pens.