Press release by the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystems Protection Program (GSLEP) – Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Only joint efforts can save endangered animals such as the snow leopard from extinction in the wild
[update April 1, 2015: Delegates from the 12 snow leopard range countries have elected the Hon. Mr. Mushahidullah Khan, Federal Climate Change Minister of Pakistan, as chairman of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystems Protection Program’s Steering Committee. Mr. Khan thanked the delegates for for entrusting him with the chairmanship of the steering committee and vowed to commit his time to come up to their expectations, according to Pakistani newspaper, the Dawn.
Kyrgyzstan was elected the vice-chair of the Steering Committee].
On March 19-20, 2015 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Ministers and senior officials of 12 snow leopard range countries will be coming together for the first Steering Committee meeting of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystems Protection Program (GSLEP).
The meeting will be an important continuation of the joint actions of the 12 countries following the Bishkek Declaration adopted at the Global Forum on Snow Leopard Conservation held in October 2013 under the leadership of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambayev.
The GSLEP Program aims to ensure the long-term survival of the snow leopard in its natural ecosystem. It is a joint initiative of the governments of the range countries, international organizations, civil society and the private sector.
Experts and senior officials from the 12 countries had identified 23 key landscapes to secured for the endangered cat at a workshop at Lake Issyk Kul district, Kyrgyzstan, last June.
The upcoming inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee of the GSLEP program is a significant milestone where the high level steering committee will be appraised of the progress made till date. The steering committee will also provide direction to take the program forward by helping secure resources and identifying priorities for action at national and international levels.
Snow Leopard Trust Executive Director Brad Rutherford and Science & Conservation Director Dr. Charu Mishra will attend the meeting on behalf of the Trust.
The State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, along with the GSLEP Secretariat, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), Union for Conservation of Nature and Biodiversity (NABU), Snow Leopard Trust (SLT), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), World Bank (WB) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are key partners in this upcoming event.
The two-day long meeting will be held at «Jannat Resort» in Koi-Tash village near Bishkek on 19 and 20 March 2015, and the delegates will join the Noorus (Central Asia new year) celebrations on the 21st.
Contact Information:
Mr. Tologon Mamasaliev: + 996-707-008-833, ecopresskg@gmail.com
Dr. Koustubh Sharma: + 996-551-128-116, koustubh@snowleopard.org
Mr. Evgeny Grechko + 996-701-010-154, grechko@akilbirs.com
Secretariat of the GSLEP in Bishkek: + 996-312-564-195, islf.nationalsecretariat@gmail.com
Official website of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystems Protection Program: www.globalsnowleopard.org
Kyrgyz State Agency on Environment Protection and Forestry http://nature.gov.kg/
GSLEP on Twitter: #GlobalSnowLeopard
GSLEP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/global.snow.leopard.program
Community to protect the snow leopard: www.facebook.com/TimeToSaveTheSnowLeopard
The Global Environment Facility: www.theGEF.org
Global Tiger Initiative: www.GlobalTigerInitiative.org
NABU – www.nabu.de/en
Snow Leopard Trust: www.snowleopard.org
United Nations Development Program: www.undp.org
The World Bank in the Kyrgyz Republic: www.worldbank.org/en/country/kyrgyzrepublic
World Wildlife Fund for Nature: www.worldwildlife.org