🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Project Snow Leopard was launched by India in 2009 to focus on high-altitude ecosystem conservation.
Under India’s Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, snow leopards are listed in Schedule I, the highest level of protection. This status imposes strict penalties for poaching and trade. India’s snow leopard population is estimated at roughly 500 individuals, primarily in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Legal frameworks provide authority for enforcement but require sustained implementation in remote regions. Monitoring relies on camera traps and community engagement programs. Schedule I designation signals national recognition of ecological importance. However, habitat pressures and conflict still challenge enforcement. Law establishes protection; practice determines outcome.
💥 Impact (click to read)
India’s approach integrates species protection with landscape-level conservation through initiatives like Project Snow Leopard. This program emphasizes community participation and habitat connectivity. Legal deterrence aims to reduce illegal hunting, yet remote terrain complicates surveillance. Funding allocations must cover training, equipment, and outreach. The systemic challenge is translating statutory language into field-level effectiveness. Protection on paper must manifest in patrol routes and conflict mitigation.
For communities in high-altitude regions, legal restrictions coexist with economic realities. Livestock losses do not disappear because statutes exist. Compensation mechanisms attempt to bridge policy and livelihood. The snow leopard becomes both protected emblem and local concern. Its survival under Schedule I reflects the broader question of how law interacts with geography. In mountains where roads are few, enforcement requires more than legislation.
Source
Government of India Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
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