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A commitment to community-based wildlife management is vital in helping to safeguard the wellbeing of the Altai-Sayan snow leopard
As endangered as the tiger, the snow leopards of Siberia and
Mongolia are dwindling due to a decline in their natural habitat,
poaching and a lack of local awareness.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has been seeking ways to safeguard the wellbeing of this elusive species, which lives in the remote Altai-Sayan mountains of Siberia and Mongolia. This ecoregion is rated among the world’s top 35 priority areas on account of its biodiversity.
WWF commissioned Mott MacDonald to review a species and habitat management action strategy – the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion Action Plan (ASECAP). The ASECAP targets the protection of the snow leopard and its primary prey, such as the rare argali mountain sheep. Mott MacDonald was asked to present recommendations on improving the plan’s implementation and effectiveness and to propose future conservation interventions including appropriate governance and management structures.
The transition to a market economy following political changes in 1992 led to profound changes and challenges for the nomadic herdsmen in the Altai-Sayan mountains. Since then, traditional land-use has undergone drastic changes and peoples’ lives have changed with a loss of mobility in pastoral systems. This has accelerated the degradation of natural resources and the fragmentation of the already vulnerable habitat of the snow leopard. Climate change has also been a contributing factor.
So protecting the snow leopard also involves community-based wildlife management designed to promote sustainable resource use and flora and fauna management. Mott MacDonald’s recommendation of mainstreaming environmental concerns into a wider regional development context will assist the WWF in redesigning their conservation activities and enlisting support from local government and communities.
The initial results of the project’s interventions are encouraging. The ASECAP overarching, long-term vision for conservation and sustainable development is to be achieved over the next 50 years. Four key conservation goals include:
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has been seeking ways to safeguard the wellbeing of this elusive species, which lives in the remote Altai-Sayan mountains of Siberia and Mongolia. This ecoregion is rated among the world’s top 35 priority areas on account of its biodiversity.
WWF commissioned Mott MacDonald to review a species and habitat management action strategy – the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion Action Plan (ASECAP). The ASECAP targets the protection of the snow leopard and its primary prey, such as the rare argali mountain sheep. Mott MacDonald was asked to present recommendations on improving the plan’s implementation and effectiveness and to propose future conservation interventions including appropriate governance and management structures.
The transition to a market economy following political changes in 1992 led to profound changes and challenges for the nomadic herdsmen in the Altai-Sayan mountains. Since then, traditional land-use has undergone drastic changes and peoples’ lives have changed with a loss of mobility in pastoral systems. This has accelerated the degradation of natural resources and the fragmentation of the already vulnerable habitat of the snow leopard. Climate change has also been a contributing factor.
So protecting the snow leopard also involves community-based wildlife management designed to promote sustainable resource use and flora and fauna management. Mott MacDonald’s recommendation of mainstreaming environmental concerns into a wider regional development context will assist the WWF in redesigning their conservation activities and enlisting support from local government and communities.
The initial results of the project’s interventions are encouraging. The ASECAP overarching, long-term vision for conservation and sustainable development is to be achieved over the next 50 years. Four key conservation goals include:
- Strengthening the protected area network
- Conserving the forest ecosystem
- Raising awareness of sustainable livelihood
- Sustainable regional development plan