For thousands of years, snow leopards have been known as the ghosts of the mountains, surviving off an abundant habitat rich with prey. However, over the last 100 years the threats facing snow leopard populations have continued to grow. By funding holistic initiatives, DSWF is working alongside communities, governments and law enforcement experts in Asia to provide snow leopards with the greatest form of protection and ensure they have a bright future.
Human population numbers have doubled in the last 40 years, resulting in rapid human settlement, commercial and agricultural expansion. This loss of habitat has lead to a decrease in prey populations, prompting snow leopards to attack livestock, which leads to retaliatory killings from farmers. The killing and capture of snow leopards for the illegal wildlife trade is also a growing concern. Demand for their fur and bones, especially as a substitute for tiger parts, is on the rise.
DSWF supports community focused conservation projects that are based on scientific understanding of snow leopard behaviour, needs, habitats and threats. Programmes include community-based income-generation initiatives designed to support both wildlife and local communities who share a common habitat, education to raise conservation awareness, and rigorous research towards gaining a better understanding of snow leopard ecology.
By understanding and addressing the issues facing snow leopards, we are able to have a positive impact upon wildlife, its habitat and the local people of the region. With increasing pressures on their habitats, it is vital that holistic solutions such as these continue to be supported in order to provide long-term futures for snow leopards and local communities alike.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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