Context:
India’s 1st snow leopard conservation centre is to be set up in Lanka, near Bhaironghati bridge in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand.
About the News
- It will be built by the Uttarakhand forest department along with United Nations Development
- Programme (UNDP) as part of its six-year long project Securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems (SECURE) Himalayas.
- Dutch Conservation Architect Anne Feenstra shared the details of the conservation centre.
- The conservation centre is expected to create awareness of the Big Cat among the people.
Snow Leopard in Uttarakhand:
- According to several researches, Uttarakhand is home to 86 snow leopards at present.
- In Uttarakhand, snow leopards are found in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Gangotri National Park, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary and other places of altitude between 3000-4500 meters.
About Snow Leopard
- According to the World Wild Fund for Nature India (WWF), India is home to 450-500 snow leopards.
- Snow Leopard is listed under Schedule – I of Wildlife Protection Act of India which gives the big cat absolute protection against hunting and poaching .
- It is listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list.
SECURE Himalayas
- Securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems (SECURE) is a programme which aims to ensure conservation of locally and globally significant biodiversity in the high himalayan ecosystem.
- The programme aims to enhance the lives and livelihoods of local communities.
- It was launched by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in January, 2017.
