Protecting Snow Leopards

In the past six months, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) funding in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan has directly supported snow eopard GPS-collaring expenses, community-based educational opportunities including eco-camps for children, conservation engagement activities within the community including Snow Leopard Day Celebrations, and a community enterprises handicrafts program.

The easing of covid-19 restrictions in 2022 have allowed our ground-based conservation partners conservation work to resume at pre-pandemic levels in Mongolia. The international science team has been able to travel to Mongolia and conduct successful GPS-collaring work of snow leopards and ibex. Collaring work remains a major component of the long-term ecological study of snow leopards that began in 2008, which is conducted in Tost Nature Reserve, and in the neighbouring mountains.   Three snow leopards (two females and one male) have been collared in the past six month. In addition, three ibex (two females and one male) have also been collared as means to monitor prey populations. With new snow leopards and ibex collared, we are now able to follow their movements and generate maps and track habitat use. Other components of the study include snow leopard population surveys using camera traps, and wild prey surveys.

Community Engagement

During the last six months, ten rangers have patrolled the Tost Nature Reserve on motorcycles and on foot for any signs of poaching or illegal activities. Seven of these rangers are local herders who donate their time and receive small stipends and money for fuel for their conservation efforts. To further support communities in the area in the past 6 months, the snow leopard enterprises program has engaged 141 women from 27 herder communities in south and western Mongolia. In a new development, several communities in the region have begun making products for the domestic market, including hand spun, natural camel wool yarn for knitting and camel wool thread for stitching. These programs are vital in engaging the local villages in eco-friendly practices which provide them with sustainable incomes thereby reducing their need to encroach on the natural environment for resources, income, or food.

With DSWF support, our partners have developed educational materials to complement school curriculums on subjects such as climate change, ecotourism, and the snow leopard as a symbol of high mountain ecosystems. These resources have been shared with teachers at 20 schools. In addition, over 70 students from 17 schools attended the project’s eco-camps in the past six months. The recent camps introduced a new activity called “Mongolia’s Changing Landscape,” with a focus on pollution and climate change. In addition, the children were taught how to set a camera trap amongst other environmental based activities focused on conservation, with the aim for the students to learn about camera trapping and the importance of nature and protected areas.

World Snow Leopard Day was celebrated globally on 23^rd October. The organised activities supported by DSWF in Mongolia saw 1,500 people participating in the celebrations from a total of 16 herder communities. This is the most communities that has ever engaged in snow leopard day and is a great sign that there is increasing community support for conservation of the iconic big cat of the mountains. 

Stay up to date with our work and how your generous support is making a difference, receive exciting wildlife conservation stories and hear about forthcoming campaigns, fundraising initiatives and events: Stay In Touch