Snow Leopard Summit in Kyrgyzstan
Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia) © pixabay.com
Bonn, 31 August 2017 – Officials from all 12 Range States of the Snow Leopard met in Bishkek last week to discuss the possibility of further strengthening their collaborative efforts to conserve the mountain-dwelling cats.
The Snow Leopard faces significant threats in the shape of poaching, targeted killing by herders protecting their livestock, lack of prey, shrinking habitats and climate change. The Snow Leopards’ mountainous habitat in the Himalayas of Central Asia is referred to as the Third Pole and some predictions indicate that this region will see temperatures rising by as much as 8oC which will have potentially devastating effects on the glaciers, with equally dire consequences for human populations and for the cats.
“The survival of the emblematic Snow Leopard will depend on the efforts human beings are willing to make to conserve the species for future generations. This means taking concrete action to stop poaching and killing and stepping up our efforts to stop the degradation of the ecosystem Snow Leopards rely on. It should be noted if we lose these ecosystems, we lose their services that they provide to hundreds of millions people – services such as fresh water supplies.”
Bert Lenten, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNEP/CMS
The Bishkek meeting was hosted by the Government of Kyrgyzstan and was held in the context of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP). It was attended by Ministers and UN Environment’s Executive Director, Erik Solheim. One outcome of the meeting was agreement on a Ministerial Statement, the Bishkek Declaration, which reaffirms the countries’ commitment to achieving the fundamental goals of GSLEP.
Last updated on 31 August 2017
