Our Progress

Here are some of the milestones you’ve helped us achieve in our quest to better understand and protect the endangered snow leopard.

Equipped and tracked a total of 40 snow leopards with GPS collars, collecting an unprecedented amount of data about the behavior and ecology of these elusive cats
Conducted research camera studies in five countries over several years, collecting the largest library of wild snow leopard photos in the world.

Tracked multiple young snow leopards dispersing from their mothers
Tracked multiple snow leopards migrating across the steppe to different mountain chains.
Found wild den sites of multiple snow leopard mothers with their cubs.

Published the first ever long-term snow leopard population monitoring study. It showed a stable population in Tost Nature Reserve, where we’ve partnered with local communities to protect these cats since 1998.

We worked with local communities and political allies in Tost, Mongolia, to protect this prime snow leopard habitat from the threat of mining. In 2010, our efforts helped achieve local protected status for the area. In April 2016, Mongolia’s parliament decided to take Tost under federal protection and make it a national Nature Reserve.

Piloted grazing-free reserves for the recovery of wild snow leopard prey with communities in India, leading to a fivefold increase of the population of blue sheep in the largest such reserve, in Spiti.
Reduced livestock mortality in partner communities in Pakistan by up to 50% through vaccination initiatives under the Livestock Health Program.
Generated revenue of more than $1 million, and increased household incomes for more than 400 families in snow leopard habitat through the production and sale of Snow Leopard Enterprises handicrafts.

Created the Citizen-Ranger Wildlife Protection Program in collaboration with the Kyrgyz government to strengthen wildlife law enforcement in the country. The program has since expanded to Pakistan and Mongolia.
Piloted the Shamshy Nature Reserve, a former hunting concession that’s now co-managed as a wildlife sanctuary by SLT and the Kyrgyz government.

Brought the snow leopard conservation community together to create the first Snow Leopard Survival Strategy, and initiated the foundation of the Snow Leopard Network.
Played a leading role in the 2013 Global Snow Leopard Conservation Forum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which gave rise to the Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), a first-of-its-kind alliance between 12 governments, conservationists, scientists and other organizations to work together for the conservation of the threatened snow leopard and its mountain ecosystems.

We continue to be a key partner of the GSLEP secretariat, assisting range countries in their quest to expand protected snow leopard landscapes.

Whitley Awards for Conservation have been won by SLT Science & Conservation Director, Charudutt Mishra (2010 & 2022), and Pakistan Program Director, Muhammad Ali Nawaz (2016).

Snow Leopard Enterprises has won the BBC World Challenge in 2012.
Former Mongolia Program Director Bayarjargal (Bayara) Agvaantseren won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2019 for leading a successful effort to protect snow leopard habitat in the Tost Mountains.
The BBVA Foundation’s Biodiversity Conservation Awards honored Snow Leopard Trust with its Worldwide Award in recognition of its role in helping to create and support the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP).