Community-Based Snow Leopard Conservation in Pakistan’s Northern Areas

Snow Leopard Conservancy - Conservation Program

Khunjerab National Park is impoverishing rather than helping us. There is nothing we can do about snow leopard predation. The snow leopard comes and eats what it wants. It could come and eat us too if we are not careful.

Pakistani village woman

If you treat the snow leopard like a guest, it will always be there.

Dr. John Mock

Rakaposhi Peak, Northern Pakistan - 7788m (25,554 ft)

Community-Based Snow Leopard Conservation in Pakistan’s Northern Areas

Pakistan’s Northern Areas provide over 80% of the country’s available habitat for snow leopards. Recent studies suggest the population here might be as high as 400 animals, or as low as 250. Here, as elsewhere, the main threats come from retaliatory killing due to livestock depredation, illegal hunting for the cats’ valuable pelt, bones and body parts for traditional Chinese medicine (traded across the border into China), and depletion of the main prey, ibex and marmot. The Snow Leopard Conservancy and its partners have programs in the Baltistan and Gojal regions.

Nepal

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Baltistan