Update from the Field April 2016 Through our Long-Term Ecological Study (LTES) in the Tost region of Mongolia, we are learning a lot about the lives of wild snow leopards. Below are some exciting updates directly from this Long-Term Study along with news from other important snow leopard range countries. Following Tsetsen Tsetsen has continued his regular ranging patterns, nearly as precise as clockwork, through the month of April. He has covered the Tost and TosonBumba Mountains and, due to a few cluster patterns of his movements, we speculate the he may have made 2-3 kills during the month. INDIA: Argali spotted in grazing free reserve April has been a busy month for our field team as it marks the start of a fresh research season. Our team in Ladakh celebrated Foundation Day for our community-based livestock insurance program in Kyungyam which fell on April 14 th this year. The good news was that no livestock deaths were reported from depredation by snow leopards in the past year. The program is currently helping insure 48 animals in this village, held by 27 families. Ladakh field team during survey Following this meeting, our team successfully surveyed and negotiated the formation of a new grazing-free reserve near the village of Himya; this area is in the Upper Zagley valley of Ladakh and has high wildlife value. We hope to share more details of the reserve and the wildlife sightings reported there in upcoming updates. Subsequently, our team also visited the Tsaba catchment to check on our existing floating reserve. They were thrilled to see a mixed group of 17 Argali that mostly comprised of females. Our team is in discussion with locals to renew the existing arrangement for the reserve. Our team also held a meeting with a member of another community-based livestock insurance program in Miru. The meeting was attended by the local counselor who interacted with the villagers and encouraged them to participate in the program. In April, our team also had an encounter with a snow leopard in Rong area of Ladakh. The animal appeared to have had killed two cows and was seen near the kill. This was the first encounter with a snow leopard for our new program coordinator, Stanzin Namgail, who said this was an experience he won't forget. Last month, our team had helped reinforce corrals in the village of Rama, in Spiti. This month they completed a similar exercise for the village of Chubrang, which neighbors Rama. Both of these villages fall within good snow leopard habitat and have faced losses of livestock by depredation. Our initiatives will hopefully secure their livestock from further damage by snow leopards. Pg. 1
Update from the Field Country Highlights KYRGYZSTAN: Biodiversity In early April, our incredible team at Snow Leopard Foundation Kyrgyzstan (SLFK) retrieved 20 camera traps from the 100 square mile former concession area, now co-managed nature reserve, Shamshy, in Kyrgyzstan s northern Tian Shan mountains. So far, the snow leopard has eluded our cameras, but we got many pictures of another rare cat, the lynx. Camera traps also recorded wild pig, red fox, ibex, badger, hare, and many other mammals and birds. These pictures showcase the rich biodiversity in the region, and underscore that good protection can help us save the wildlife in the long -term. Signs of snow leopards and red deer have been found inside the protected area, and our cameras will continue their covert surveillance in the reserve. PAKISTAN: Another major disaster hit Gilgit-Baltistan & Chitral, affecting livelihoods and communications. Islamabad-Gilgit-Chitral: Torrential rains, flooding, collapsing roofs, lightning strikes, and landslide incidents caused extensive devastation in Chitral- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gilgit-Baltistan, and northern areas of the country, with the death toll escalating to 65 individuals; hundreds of people are still awaiting help. Although Government officials vow to assess and compensate damages on an emergency basis, the Karakoram Highway remains blocked due to the landslides, making many places inaccessible. Situation in Snow Leopard Project Areas: Several dozen people are feared to be dead or injured, and heavy loss to private and public property was also reported. Adjoining valleys of Chitral District have lost road access to the city due to heavy floods. Several roads are blocked including Garam Chashma, Kalash Valley, Mastuj, Booni, Torhkho, and Broghul. Continued on next page Pg. 2
In Gilgit Baltistan, Ghizer District has also been badly affected. The road between Gilgit and Ghizar is impassable due to land sliding and flooding of streams. In Punyal, Gupis, and Yasin, roads, walking trails, link roads, and water channels have been damaged and people have started trying to fix them on their own. There is no electricity in several villages. Flash floods and landslides have wreaked havoc in District of Hunza-Nagar too. While the rains doused some regions, others were blanketed with snow. The Karakoram Highway is also blocked on several locations at Attaabad Tunnel, and the Shimshal and Chupursan roads are blocked in more than 25 places. The people of district Nagar, especially in Nagar main, Hisper, and Hoper Valley, are facing extreme challenges. The incessant rainfall caused severe destruction in the Gojal valley of District Hunza, which is home to four important international passes, and located at the mouth of the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Despite the strategic significances of the territory and the emerging stories of suffering caused by the road blockades, almost 1,300 households in Shimshal, Chipursan, and Misgar valley have remained disconnected from the rest of the district for the last nine days. They have no direct access to healthcare providers, markets, or other facilities. There is a public perception that perhaps the local government should exert more effort to restore this infrastructure. In Shimshal valley, nine shepherds are still in vulnerable situation in the far-flung and high mountain pastures of Pamir, with no access to rations or medicine from the main settlement in Shimshal. Their family members have had no communication with the stranded people, who are reportedly looking after more than 1,800 yaks owned by the community. We hope to update you soon with the good news that the shepherds and the livestock made it home safely. In Baltistan, all four districts have been affected and most of the government and non-governmental offices in Baltistan regions are closed. There is no internet and only partial cellular services in the area - even newspapers were not delivered due to road blockages. Tourists and patients are being brought to Gilgit and Kohistan by Pak Army choppers. A number of sorties were made, evacuating 65 foreign tourists, nine Pakistani tourist families, and a number of patients from Aliabad Hunza to Gilgit. The patients and tourists will travel out of GB in C-130 flights. Twenty-five students from Chilas were also evacuated to Kohistan/Pattan. The changing weather patterns and increased numbers of natural disasters are strong indicators that global climate changes are affecting the mountain communities in Pakistan. The resultant avalanches, landslides, rockslides and erosion, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), etc. are straining lives in the valleys, as well as forests and residential areas, by destroying the already meagre land resources. The impact on infrastructure and the resultant mobility restrictions are also causing deterioration of normal life. Pakistan s Himalayan region of Gilgit-Baltistan is vulnerable to climate-induced natural disasters, posing an emerging threat to the survival of snow leopards in the country. Urgent action is needed to curb climate change and prevent further degradation of snow leopard habitat. By partnering with local people to ensure that their ecosystem is sustainable managed, we help protect the species and the biodiversity that lives there. We certainly will keep you posted as the cleanup efforts continue. Information based on Media Reports, Field Staff of SLF and Community Representatives. Pg. 3
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