Dehradun (Uttarakhand): Diminishing number of snow leopards in the state is a cause of concern for the government and that is why it has finally drawn a plan to save this rare feline species from extinction by ensuring the participation of local people in their conservation.
According to a senior forest department official, the Union ministry of environment and forest has drawn a plan under its `Secure Himalaya Project’ to arrest the depleting number of snow leopards in the Himalayan region.
Referring to the reason of decline in number of snow leopards, the forest official said, “besides poaching, the locals too are involved in killing these snow leopards by poisoning them to save their livestock.” It may be mentioned here that shepherds drive their livestock for grazing in alpine meadows where they are predated by the snow leopard.
To discourage the locals from indulging in this illegal activity, an ambitious plan has been drawn by the government wherein the local people would be provided job for saving this beautiful wild species, informed the official.
Apart from it, the snow leopard census is also being undertaken for the first time to assess the success of the project wherein for the first time the locals would be employed to save these wild animals.
Under this ambitious national programme of `Secure Himalaya Project’, states including Uttrakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim would be covered which are inhabited by the snow leopard. In all these four states, the snow leopard census would be simultaneously undertaken, said the official.
Under scheme of providing employment to the local populace, the government besides undertaking the task of creating awareness for wildlife conservation, would help locals develop their respective home as `guest houses’ for the tourists stay. Also, the locals would be imparted training to work as `nature guides’ to earn a decent income for their livelihood during the tourist season, added the official.
