Thematic sessions included Climate Change in the Snow Leopard Range Areas, Technology and Innovation in Snow Leopard Research and Conservation, Sustainable Finance, Community-based Conservation in Snow Leopard Range Areas, and Field Studies and Conservation in Practice.
The symposium was headlined by some of the leading researchers and practitioners in this field from around the world. It was also be attended by senior leaders from snow leopard range countries, international organizations such as UNDP, GEF, IUCN, GTIC Council and USAID, and nongovernmental conservation organizations including WWF, NABU, the Snow Leopard Trust, Snow Leopard Conservancy, Panthera, and Traffic.
All presentations held at the Symposium are now available for download. Please see the Symposium agenda below for details about speakers and topics.
| Opening: Welcome Speeches | ||
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 | Mr. Abdykalyk Rustamov, Director State Agency on Environment Protection and Forestry (SAEPF) |
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| 9:10 | Koustubh Sharma, Senior Ecologist and International Coordinator Snow Leopard Trust (SLT) Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Program |
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| 9:15 | Kimberly Rosen, Mission Director – Kyrgyz Republic United States Agency for International Development (USAID) |
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| 9:25 | Kate Newman, Vice President, WWF-US | |
| 9:30 | Yoko Watanabe, UNDP Global Manager-GEF Small Grants Programme | |
| 9:35 | Introduction to Sessions | |
| Session 1: A Region at Risk – Climate Change in the Snow Leopard Range Areas Session Chairs: Rizwan Mehboob, Senior Advisor to the Government of Pakistan on Conservation and the Environment Midori Paxton, Head, Biodiversity and Ecosystems, UNDP |
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| 9:45 | Guardians of the Headwaters: Mapping Nature’s Benefits and Climate Change in Six Landscapes across Snow Leopard Range | Ryan Bartlett WWF US |
| 9:55 | Potential Distribution of Snow Leopard Habitat Area in the Context of Climate Change: A Modeling Based Approach | Menaka Panta Neupane |
| 10:05 | The Priority of Snow Leopard Landscape Conservation at Present and in the Future in the Context of Climate Change | Lu Zhi Peking University |
| 10:15 | The Adaptation Gap in High Mountains | Matthias Jurek UNEP |
| 10:25 | Ecosystem-based Adaptation in the High Mountainous Regions of Central Asia: Coming from Business as Usual to Climate Informed Adaptation | Claudia Haller GIZ |
| 10:35 | Climate Adaptation in Snow Leopard Range Areas | John Farrington WWF AHM Project |
| 10:45 | Questions and Answers | |
| 11:00 | Coffee Break and Exhibition – 30 Minutes | |
| Session 2: Technology and Innovation in Snow Leopard Research and Conservation Session Chairs: Tom McCarthy, Director of Snow Leopard Programs, Panthera Andrey Kushlin, Deputy Director, Forestry Policy and Resources, UNFAO |
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| 11:30 | Snow Leopard Genetics and Population Connectivity along the Nepalese Himalayas | Kanchan Thapa WWF Nepal |
| 11:40 | Autonomous Ground and Air Systems for Snow Leopard Protection | Presented by Dr. Mohammad Ali Nawaz, SLF Pakistan, on behalf of Princess Aliyah Pandolfi Kashmir World Foundation |
| 11:50 | The SAFE Systems Approach to HWC: A Move away from Symptoms-based Mangement Towards Integrated HWC Management. | Ashley Brooks WWF Tigers Alive Initiative |
| 12:00 | What Spatial Capture-Recapture Can Tell You about Snow Leopard Distribution and Abundance | David Borchers University of St. Andrews |
| 12:10 | The Need for Long-Term Studies in Snow Leopard Conservation | Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi Nature Conservation Foundation |
| 12:20 | Questions and Answers | |
| 1:00 | Lunch and Exhibition – 60 Minutes | |
| Session 3: Ensuring Sustainability Conservation and Financing for Snow Leopards Session Chairs: Keshav Varma, Director, Global Tiger Initiative Council Jaime Cavelier, Senior Biodiversity Specialist, GEF |
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| 2:00 | The Snow Leopard as an Icon for Sustainable Development | Midori Paxton UNDP |
| 2:10 | Community-based Actions for Conservation of the Snow Leopard and its Ecosystems | Yoko Watanabe UNDP |
| 2:20 | Catalyzing Knowledge into Conservation Action: The Save Our Species Initiative | Boris Erg IUCN |
| 2:30 | Valuation of Ecosystem Services from Tiger and Snow Leopard Landscapes: A Manual on Economic Valuation Approaches for Practitioners | Madhu Verma, Indian Institute of Forest Management |
| 2:40 | Valuation of Ecosystem Services in Snow Leopard Landscapes of Asia | Ranjini Murali NCF |
| 2:50 | Questions and Answers | |
| Session 4: Community-based Conservation in Snow Leopard Range Areas Session Chairs: Mary Melnyk, Environment Team Leader, USAID Asia Bureau Michael Despines, Snow Leopard Trust, Executive Director |
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| 3:00 | A Framework for Community-Based Conservation | Charudutt Mishra SLT |
| 3:10 | From Mining to Protection: Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve, Mongolia | Bayarjargal Agvaantseren SLT |
| 3:20 | A School Student-driven Trap Collection Campaign in Snow Leopard Range Areas of Western Mongolia | Chimeddorj Buyanaa WWF-Mongolia |
| 3:30 | Empowering Local Communities through Snow Leopard Conservation: Stories from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan | Tanya Rosen Panthera |
| 3:40 | Ecological Theatre: A New Approach in Ecological Education in the Kyrgyz Republic | Farida Balbakova WWF Kyrgyzstan Program Coordinator |
| 3:50 | The Role of Indigenous Cultural Practitioners (ICPs) in Conservation of Snow Leopards | Norbu Lama Land of the Snow Leopard Network |
| 4:00 | Questions and Answers | |
| 4:10 | Coffee Break and Exhibition – 20 Minutes | |
| Session 5: Field Studies and Conservation in Practice Session Chairs: Rodney Jackson, Director, snow Leopard Conservancy Yoko Watanabe, Global Manager-GEF Small Grants Programme, UNDP |
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| 4:30 | Snow Leopard Conservation and Research in Key Landscapes of China | Shi Kun Beijing Forestry University |
| 4:40 | Bhutan National Snow Leopard Survey: 2014-2016 | Tshering Dhendup Department of Forest and Park Services |
| 4:50 | Eastern Nepal GSLEP Landscape Management Plan | Maheshwar Dhakal Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation |
| 5:00 | An Ounce of Prevention: Poaching and Trafficking of Snow Leopards | James Compton TRAFFIC-Asia |
| 5:10 | Range-Wide Snow Leopard Phylogeography Supports Three Subspecies | Jan Janecka, Duquesne University |
| 5:20 | Questions and Answers | |
| 5:30 | Symposium Closing: Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International Keshav Varma, Director, Global Tiger Initiative Council | |
| 5:45 | Conference News | |
| 6:00 | Reception and Exhibition | |
| Evening Session 6: Conservation Practitioners’ Seminar – Hyatt Hotel Conference Room Session Facilitator: Charudutt Mishra, Science and Conservation Director, SLT |
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| 8:00 | Training on Scat Collection for Genetic Surveys | Jan Janecka Duquesne University |
| 8:30 | Training on Landscape Management Planning for GSLEP Priority Sites | Rinjan Shrestha, WWF-Canada and Yashveer Bhatagar, SLT |
| 9:00 | Training on Getting Your Conservation Story in the International Media | Matthias Fiechter, SLT |
| 9:30 | Training on Camera Trap Set Up | Kubanych Jumabay SLT |
The Director of the State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Abdylkalik Rustamov, opened the symposium with Ms. Kimberly Rosen, Mission Director of the USAID in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Various organizations working in the field of snow leopard conservation also presented results of their work through posters and information booths.
2017 International Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Forum
The International Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Forum takes place in Bishkek on August 24th and 25th.
The Forum is hosted by Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, and organized by the State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection Program’s secretariat. Strategic partners include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Snow Leopard Trust (SLT), Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
More information: forum.globalsnowleopard.org