In August this year, Kyrgyzstan plans to hold a Global Forum on the Conservation of Snow Leopard and its Ecosystem. The main reason for the decline in biodiversity and the general snow leopard population is climate change. Over the past 20 years the population of leopards in Kyrgyzstan decreased from 600 to 300 individuals.
Earlier the forum devoted to this issue was already held in 2013. The initiative of the upcoming event came from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Erlan Abdyldaev on the 71st session of the UN General Assembly from.
"Next year we will convene a second world forum, at which we will sum up the work done and determine further joint actions to preserve these rare animals," the minister said.
The snow leopard (an ilbirs or an irbis) is a symbol of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The species is listed in the International Red Book and the Red Book of Kyrgyzstan (since 1997), hunting is strictly forbidden and is monitored by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. According to the statistics of the Bishkek Center of the Global Program for the Conservation of the Snow Leopard and its Ecosystems *, in 2015 there were about 300 snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan. In total, there are 3.5 thousand - 7.5 thousand snow leopards in the world.
The international community is concerned about the disappearance of this noble animal. By the way, the World Bank suggests that the protection of this rare animal species includes three main measures: conservation of their ecosystems, protection from poachers and local communities that exterminate snow leopards in order to protect their livestock, and mitigate the impact of climate change and all expanding human settlements.
From all the above the agreed measures, climate change is the most serious problem in the long term. On which the survival of the snow leopard will largely depend, because climate change leads to the melting of glaciers and increased risk of droughts affecting the entire ecosystem of the mountainous region. According to the World Wildlife Fund, only in the Himalayas, the consequence of climate change may be the loss of 30% of the snow leopard habitat.
Therefore, an integrated approach to addressing climate change remains important for Kyrgyzstan and its neighboring countries. What does the solution of this problem mean at the regional level. This international forum will be an excellent dialogue platform for all countries.
* Read more here - http://www.globalsnowleopard.org