Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust
 | |
| Legal status | Charitable Trust |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Korban House, Changspa, Sheldan, Leh, Ladakh, 194101, Jammu & Kashmir, India |
| Location |
|
| Services | Snow Leopard Conservation |
| Leader | Dr. Tsewang Namgail |
| Affiliations | Panthera Corporation |
| Website | snowleopardindia |
Formerly called | Snow Leopard Conservancy |
Since its inception, the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust (SLC-IT) has worked to protect the highly-threatened snow leopard (Uncia uncia), its prey species, and its habitat in India. SLC-IT focuses on promoting community-based solutions to the problems facing the snow leopard throughout its Indian range. The organization pioneered the award-winning Himalayan Homestay Program in 2003. Apart from conservation, the organization also conducts ecological research on the snow leopard, its prey species, which help in guiding the conservation programs.
History
The Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust was formed in 2000 as the Indian branch of the Snow Leopard Conservancy. It became an independent Indian organization in 2003.
Community-based Conservation
Community-based conservation is accorded the highest priority because the organization believes that snow leopard and other wildlife of the Himalayas and other mountainous areas in Asia cannot be conserved without the support of the local people who share resources with the snow leopard and other wildlife on a daily basis.[1]
Therefore, the organization has been working tirelessly at the grassroots level to improve the livelihoods so that members of the local community come on board the conservation wagon. Today, fifteen years after the Himalayan Homestays[2] and other community conservation programs were put in place, people are trying to attract the wild animals close to their villages, which is one of the foremost conservation success stories in India as well as outside.
Environmental Education
Environmental education through training and awareness is a major component of SLC-IT's conservation model. The conservancy produces educational materials like books, CDs and pamphlets regularly, highlighting the rich biodiversity and conservation issues in Ladakh. The organization partnered with Kalpavriksh, a Pune-based organization, in bringing up the Ri Gyancha (jewels of the mountains),[3] a biodiversity resource kit for Ladakh, which has been appreciated by both children and educators. Using Ri Gyancha and other resource materials, they conduct workshops in schools regularly and take school children on field trips to biodiversity-rich areas to create conservation awareness. Teacher training is also an important part of their education program. More recently they have started educating and training graduate students and adults.
Awards and Recognitions
- 2004 - First Choice Responsible Tourism Award at the World Travel Market
- 2005 - Global Vision Award for Community Outreach
- 2008 - Finalists in the Geotourism Challenge by National Geographic’s Centre for Sustainable Destinations and Ashoka Changemakers
- 2013 - Favorite Responsible Tourism Initiative Award by Outlook Traveller
- 2015 - Earth Guardian Award by the Royal Bank of Scotland
- 2016 - IRTA-Gold in Best Contribution to Wildlife Conservation[4]
- 2016 - IRTA-Overall Winner[5]
- 2018 - Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award
- 2018 - TOFTigers Wildlife Tourism Award
References
- ^ Ramanan, S Suresh (8 March 2019). "Local communities key in conservation of snow leopards: study". DownToEarth. Down To Earth. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ^ {{||title=Himalayan Homestays|url=http://www.himalayan-homestays.com/ |accessdate=12 January 2021}}
- ^ "A practical resource: Ri Gyancha". Teacher Plus. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Outlook Responsible Tourism".
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