Securing a safe environment for snow leopards
Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are captivating big cats. Elusive, solitary and perfectly adapted to their high mountain territories, they nonetheless contend with many threats, driving their numbers down. Chester Zoo is supporting Snow Leopard Trust initiative to conserve their habitats and reduce persecution of snow leopards due to conflicts with local communities.
Snow leopards in peril
Chester Zoo is part of a European Endangered Species Programme supporting an insurance population of these beautiful but vulnerable big cats on site. Meanwhile, in the harsh but beautiful Himalayan mountains, wild snow leopard (Panthera uncia) populations face increasing pressures.
Asia’s high mountains are known as the Third Pole, and are home to local and indigenous communities who share space with the iconic snow leopard. High mountain ecosystems are unique, sensitive and ecologically critical as they serve as watersheds for a third of the planet’s population, in addition to being home to the snow leopard and other threatened biodiversity.
There are an estimated 4,000 snow leopards left in the wild and the species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN red list. They contend with poaching, trapping for the illegal wildlife trade where pelts and other body parts are trafficked, and habitat loss. They are also subject to persecution in areas where their territories overlap with farms and settlements.
Partnering with the Snow Leopard Trust
Hooved livestock compete for sparse resources such as grasses and forbs which grow sparsely in the mountainous terrain, with wild ungulate species like the ibex (mountain goat), markhor, blue sheep and argali (mountain sheep), which snow leopards depend on for survival. As these wild prey species diminish due to competition with livestock, snow leopards can turn to livestock to survive. In turn, farmers kill snow leopards to protect their herds and livelihoods. The farmers largely being pastoralists themselves face uncertainty as climate change impacts grazing areas.
The Snow Leopard Trust is promoting coexistence between snow leopards and people living within their territories. We are supporting their work in the Tien Shan mountain range in Kyrgyzstan, where they are working with communities to reduce the retributory killing of snow leopards and to offer people alternative and snow leopard friendly livelihoods.
This work takes place within the Equal One programme, which is designed to support economic development of communities without impacting the environment.
Reducing reliance on herding
Our financial support helps the Snow Leopard Trust carry out a number of Equal One initiatives, including support for sustainable cultivation.
Sea Buckthorn is a hardy plant, able to grow at high altitudes and withstand heat and cold. Its berries can be used to make medicinal oils, teas and animal food.
The project supports people living in the Ala-Too Mountains to plant and cultivate sea buckthorn crops and sell the berries and sea buckthorn berry products.
These shrubs have intrinsic biodiversity value as they stabilise soil and provide shelter for small animals, and the resulting income from produce helps communities diversify their livelihoods and reduces over-reliance on herding.
Beekeeping offers another biodiversity-friendly income stream. The project has provided four communities so far with training and equipment to harvest honey from hives. Families sell or trade honey, as well as making use of it themselves.
Insurance against climate shock
The project also aims to protect Kyrgyzstani farmers against climate shock. Economic instability drives snow leopard poaching as people hunt the cats for the illegal fur trade and to sell their body parts for medicine, despite there being no proven medical benefits. Stabilising people’s incomes should make poaching a less appealing prospect.
Kyrgystan is one of the countries most affected by climate change, which is causing higher temperatures, droughts and unpredictable rainfall.
As a countermeasure, fifteen households in Koshoi village have benefitted from the construction of water tanks, allowing them to more reliably irrigate their plants and water their animals. In 2024, the tanks collected 150,000 litres of rainwater, the majority of which was used to support crop and livestock farming.
At the last and perhaps the most important update, there have been no snow leopard losses within the 1,000km2 project area since the project began.
