Snow Leopard Conservation Centre in Uttarkashi forests

Context:

India’s 1st snow leopard conservation centre is to be set up in Lanka, near Bhaironghati bridge in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand.

About the News

  • It will be built by the Uttarakhand forest department along with United Nations Development
  • Programme (UNDP) as part of its six-year long project Securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems (SECURE) Himalayas.
  • Dutch Conservation Architect Anne Feenstra shared the details of the conservation centre.
  • The conservation centre is expected to create awareness of the Big Cat among the people.

Snow Leopard in Uttarakhand:

  • According to several researches, Uttarakhand is home to 86 snow leopards at present.
  • In Uttarakhand, snow leopards are found in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Gangotri National Park, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary and other places of altitude between 3000-4500 meters.

About Snow Leopard

  • According to the World Wild Fund for Nature India (WWF), India is home to 450-500 snow leopards.
  • Snow Leopard is listed under Schedule – I of Wildlife Protection Act of India which gives the big cat absolute protection against hunting and poaching .
  • It is listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list.

SECURE Himalayas

  • Securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems (SECURE) is a programme which aims to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity in the high himalayan ecosystem.
  • The programme aims to enhance the lives and livelihoods of local communities.
  • It was launched by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in January, 2017.

Leave a Reply