Getting Climate-Smart with the Snow Leopard in Central Asia

As the effects of climate change are rapidly descending on the wildlife and the lands upon which local livelihoods depend, I’m glad that thanks to the UNEP Vanishing Treasures programme we have the opportunity to work with communities to identify ways these effects can be buffered. Nature-based tourism holds the greatest promise, despite the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, as do forms of agribusiness with a low impact on the environment, such as sustainable bee-keeping and sustainable harvesting of medical plants in the project territory involving female representatives of those communities. – Kenje Sultanbaeva, Ilbirs Foundation The impac s of climat change and human activities on the s ow leopard in Central Asia The impacts of climate change and human activities on the snow leopard in Central Asia

A C

N

M A

T I V

H U

I T I

E S

A C

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M A

T I V

Arable farming Livestock husbandry

H U

I T I

E S

Tourism Poorly planned Infrastructure

Poaching/hunting

Arable farming

Tourism

Livestock husbandry

o d s

H u m a n -

K i l l i n g

K i l l i n

o

G r a z i n g c o m

Growing forest cover

i h

o d s

e l

g Poaching

w i l d l i f e c o n f

l i v

o

o f

i h

n

d

e l

t i o

g e l a n

Forests

o n

H u m a n -

l i v

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a t i

s i f o f

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G r

/ r a n i o n

p e t i t

i c

l i c t

e r o n

a g

a z i

t u r e

i v a t i

t f r

w i l

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K i l l i n

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D i c

p a s

n

n t a t

d l i f

s i f

H a b

c o m p

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Rangelands

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D

D e g

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K i

H a b i t

M

s t u r e

t i o n

i c t

Rangelands

Prey

E C O S Y S T E

e d p a

D e g r a d

M

Prey

E C O S Y S T E

Plant phenology Natural habitat change

Decreased prey base

L o Plant phenology Natural habitat change w e

y Decreased prey base

y

i l i t

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l a b i l i t

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r

w a

a i l y

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D

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N

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a v

a t e r a

R

O

t s t s

A

W

P

a i l

O D

L A

E R

L o

Glacier shrinkage

p a c p a c

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r

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L o w e r a i l

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c a l c a l

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r

S

a v

t y

N

a v

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W

P

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W

t e a i l

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L

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L o

Glaciers and water

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m a b

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p e i l i

P h y P h y

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W

m

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w e r

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r a

t u

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L o

Resources

Resources

Precipitation fluctuation

Temperature increase

Precipitation fluctuation

Temperature increase

Impacts on the snow leopard Impacts on the snow le pard

C L

G E

I M

A N

A T

C H

E

C L

G E

I M

A N

A T

C H

E

Impacts on the snow leopard

Direct Indirect Figure 1: The impacts of climate change and human activities on the snow leopard in Central Asia Direct Indirect

GRID-Arendal/Studio Atlantis, 2020 GRID-Arendal/Studio Atlantis, 2020

GRID-Arendal/Studio Atl ntis, 2020

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