New Delhi: Union Minister of Environment Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday said that a protocol has been decided among the 12 partner countries of Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP), over the roadmap for enumeration of snow leopards.
He also said that once the enumeration has been completed, it is planned to double the number of snow leopards in the world within a decade.
The minister addressed the inaugural session of 4th steering committee meeting of the GSLEP. While addressing the event, he gave an example of India's achievement of contributing 77 percent of the world's tiger population in the world.
He also said that India will have a separate programme on snow leopards to include green pathways in the Himalayan region where they create an ecosystem and also assist in livelihood.
GSLEP seeks to address high mountain development issues using the conservation of endangered snow leopards as a flagship, under which the Bishkek Declaration 2017 was adopted by 12 range countries during the International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Conservation Forum in August 2017.
"Discussions, deliberations and cooperation will help the countries to move ahead on nature conservation. The countries then need to think about capacity building in nature issues and conservation of snow leopards," he added.
The 4th Steering Committee meeting of GSLEP program has been organized in New Delhi, in which an update about conservation, sustainable economic development and capacity building efforts made so far in snow leopard habitats in each country will be discussed.
The 12 countries which will be participating in this meeting includes, China, Russia, Afganistan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Bhutan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
