Protecting Snow Leopards

Snow Leopard Conservation Update

Thank you for supporting David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation through GlobalGiving.

Over the past six-months, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) has continued to work alongside our ground-based conservation partners in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan to protect snow leopards. DSWF funding aims to reduce the threats facing snow leopards and its prey species through engaging and empowering local communities who live contiguous to snow leopard habitats.

In Mongolia, DSWF have been supporting a long-term alternative livelihoods project with herder communities called Snow Leopard Enterprises (SLE). The project helps communities to develop handicraft products which it then guarantees to purchase and sell on behalf of the communities. The SLE initiative provides a source of sustainable income and discourages the exploitation of the surrounding environment. Over the past six months, 139 women from 23 SLE communities participated in the programme and received 20% bonuses on their sales as no poaching incidents were recorded. DSWF have also supported a livestock insurance scheme which now covers 12,000 animals and reimburses herders whose cattle have been killed by predatory species and therefore prevents retaliatory killings.

In Kyrgyzstan, DSWF have been working with our partners to ensure local communities are engaged, educated and can benefit from assisting in the protection of snow leopards. Over the last 6 months, DSWF funding has allowed our partners to establish relationships with schools, teachers, local communities and the local government. Three Conservation Education Learning Modules have now been developed and made available to download online and will be an essential resource for educators in Kyrgyzstan and other snow leopard range states.

Whilst some of the in-person education initiatives were put on hold due to Covid-19, DSWF funding allowed our partners to adapt and provide virtual sessions with children from 18 schools. A total of 398 students participated in these sessions which aimed to inspire and motivate the conservationists of tomorrow. 58 students also participated in eight overnight immersive eco-camps in Shamshy valley, the first in-person eco camps to have been held since 2019.

The Bigger Picture

Over the past 12 months, DSWF have continued our 37-year legacy of providing unwavering support to protect some of the world’s most endangered species. Over the course of 2022 we will continue to support our long-term conservation partners to protect wildlife, tackle wildlife crime and reduce poaching threats alongside engaging and supporting more community groups working to protect wildlife.

Thanks to your help, we have granted over £11 million in direct conservation support to turn the tide on extinction.

On behalf of everyone at DSWF and the wildlife we fight to protect, Thank You.

Links:

• Read our 2020-2021 Impact Report
• Read our latest Wildlife Matters Magazine.

Thank you for supporting David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation through GlobalGiving. As well as providing you with your bi-annual Snow leopard project report full of fantastic news and results of this project we would also like to inform you about an exciting campaign.

The Tost Nature Reserve in Mongolia covers over 7,000km2 and is the countries only protected area dedicated to snow leopard conservation. In 2016, and with the support of DSWF, the park became federally protected and its former mining and hunting concessions were withdrawn. Over the past 12 months, DSWF have continued supporting a snow leopard ecological study is the Tost Nature Reserve making it the longest snow leopard survey of all time. With DSWF support, our ground-based conservation partners are amassing the largest dataset of snow leopard photographs and conducted five camera trap surveys covering roughly 9,000km2. In addition, DSWF supported seven rangers to effectively conduct 7,452km of patrols in the new reserve.

One of the prime threats to snow leopards in Mongolia remains retaliatory killings by herders after cattle is killed. This year, DSWF supported the construction of a series of new corrals to keep around 2,000 cattle safe. Since their construction, zero livestock have been killed in the predator-proof corrals dramatically mitigating human-wildlife conflict. DSWF have also continued to support a long-term insurance scheme covering 12,000 livestock offering direct compensation and increased herder tolerance for predators.

Whilst Kyrgyzstan remains one of the world’s last remining strongholds for snow leopards, there is sadly a general disconnect with nature, especially among children. DSWF funding was planned to be used for in-person eco-camps and in-school nature clubs to reconnect children with nature, however this was not possible due to Covid-19. As such our ground-based conservation partners used our funding to develop a new remotely delivered conservation education program for children. This programme aimed to encourage positive values for nature and to equip children with knowledge as a basis for conservation action and continued learning. The team were able to reach over 300 children and their teachers from 18 rural schools.

How can you help this vital work continue?

This week GlobalGiving are hosting their annual Little by Little Camnpaign this means that all donations donated through GlobalGiving to David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation between Monday 13^th and Friday 17^th September will receive 50% match funding from GlobalGiving. So, if you donate £20 today, we receive £30 towards Snow Leopard conservation making your contribution work that little bit harder!

We are hugely grateful that you have chosen to support us to help turn the tide on extinction. Thank you.

Little by Little Campaign T’s and C’s

• Campaign runs from Monday 13^th to Friday 17^th September.
• Donations up to the amount of $50 / £36 will be match funded by 50%.
• One donation per unique donor will be match funded.
• New monthly donations set up this week will be 50% match funded and your 4th donation will be 100% matched!
• All DSWF GlobalGiving Projects are eligable for match funding.