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Thursday September 6, 201802 x advertorial

WE, the representatives of snow leopard range countries, gathering together in Shenzhen, the People’s Republic of China, on Sept. 3-7, 2018, have discussed effective strategies for studying and conserving snow leopards and their habitats.

The snow leopard, as an icon of the natural and cultural heritage in the range countries, is at the top of the food chain in the high mountain ecosystems. The conservation of the snow leopard and its habitat holds great value in maintaining biodiversity, preserving the health of the high moun-tain ecosystem, as well as improving human welfare. Presently, the fragile snow leopard ecosystem is facing the challenges of climate change, habitat degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Therefore, the efforts to conserve the snow leopard and its habitat need to be continuously strengthened.

Since the endorsement of the Bish-kek Declaration in 2013 followed by the launch of The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), the 12 snow leopard range countries have improved the state of knowledge about snow leopards, combatted poaching and illegal trade, established new protected areas, and provided fi nancial and technical sup-port for research and management of snow leopard landscapes. Under the GSLEP program, we have successfully held international forums, workshops, trainings, and outreach activities to bring together the global community to promote and strengthen snow leopard conservation efforts.

Although a lot of progress has been made to implement the Bishkek Dec-larations, many issues in snow leop-ard conservation are yet to be fully addressed.

We are determined to:1. Make efforts to harmonize the

development and conservation of the high mountain ecosystem.

2. Facilitate communication between researchers and conservationists from across the world and promote joint projects to achieve bilateral and/or multilateral cooperation including a population assessment of the world’s snow leopards.

3. Develop and implement capacity-building programs for front-line staff and other stakeholders.

4. Enhance our understanding of poaching and illegal trade issues per-taining to the snow leopard and other wildlife.

5. Broaden the scope of resource mobilization to achieve sustainable fi nancing for snow leopard conserva-tion programs.

6. Improve the quality of knowledge generated through the development and application of modern technolo-gies such as UAVs, artifi cial intelli-gence, remote sensing, and genetics for informed decision-making.

7. Support community-based con-servation programs to create a win-win prospect of sustainable development for communities and the mountain ecosystem.

We express our deep appreciation and gratitude to the People’s Republic of China for hosting the International Conference for Snow Leopard Conser-vation.

CHINA has called for beefi ng up global cooperation and increasing investment for better protection of snow

leopards.Li Chunliang, deputy director of

China’s State Forestry and Grassland Administration, made the call at an International Conference for Snow Leopard Conservation that opened in Shenzhen on Tuesday.

Representatives from 12 countries, including China, India and Russia, and relevant international organizations are attending the three-day event.

Li called on the countries to increase attention and investment on protection efforts and asked the international com-munity to provide funds and technical assistance.

“China will continue to boost pro-tection of snow leopards and their

habitats,” said Li, adding that the country will explore establishing more cross-border nature reserves for the rare species.

The snow leopard is a Class-A pro-tected animal in China and the Interna-tional Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifi es it as vulnerable. There is an estimated population of 4,500 to 7,500 living in the wild globally, accord-ing to IUCN. (Xinhua)

THE meeting section of the Interna-tional Conference for Snow Leopard Conservation comes to an end after two days of thorough communication and discussion. Mr. Li Chunliang, deputy director of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, espe-cially emphasized that the Chinese Government will further invest in protecting snow leopards and the big cats’ habitats. He also addressed how China would strengthen exchanges and communication with other snow leopard range countries, international organizations and experts and share methods and experiences in protect-ing the valuable species.

After the opening ceremony, repre-sentatives from Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia and Uzbekistan introduced their country’s efforts toward protecting snow leopards. From their reports, we learned that the major threats faced by snow leopards are reduc-ing habitats, overgrazing, poaching, changing climates and lack of public awareness.

The snow leopard range countries have made different levels of progress in protecting the big cats. Most of the countries have made achievements in monitoring snow leopards and effectively controlling poaching. Meanwhile, these countries also have been enhancing

public awareness and education about protecting snow leopards.

Experts and scholars from home and abroad made wonderful presentations on their own and their team’s research. Their reports, 35 in total, can mainly be divided into fi ve topics.

First, the population and distribution assessment of snow leopards. Experts analyzed the current distribution of different kinds of snow leopards and their relationships with various habi-tats, using scientifi c models to conduct evaluations and predictions.

Second, the potential threats to snow leopards in different countries and regions. Experts from various coun-tries showed the potential threats and opportunities for snow leopard protec-tion in the studied areas, summarized the experience and les- sons for some specifi c issues a n d proposed sug-gestions.

Third, technical methods for snow leopard research and conserva-

tion, especially in view of the current diffi culties in accurately investigating the snow leopard population. Experts exchanged the high technologies and statistical methods used in their research, in the hope of obtaining a more scientifi c and reliable count of snow leopards as well as the factors for better decision-making.

Fourth, the exploration of an eco-system for snow leopards. By studying the prey and competitors that share habitats with snow leopards, impacts on the ecosystems of snow leopards can be deduced.

Fifth, best practices in snow leopard protection. This part was very rich in content. Experts and nongovernmen-tal organizations from various coun-tries introduced their achievements, experiences and practical cases in snow leopard conservation and wild-life protection.

Through two days of discussion and communication, I personally feel that I have gained a deeper understanding of the status quo for the protection of snow leopards, the threats that confront them, and the efforts and achievements

made by the parties involved. I believe the delegates, experts and people involved in the protection work have also learned a lot.

— Yang ChaoDirector of the conservation depart-ment of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration

Excerpt of Yang Chao’s speech

SZ Consensus on Global Snow Leopard

Conservation

Better protection of snow leopards called for