I am very pleased to announce that the International Snow Leopard Conference will take place from 9-11 March in Beijing, China.Please see the attached announcement for details, and don’t hesitate to contact me at heather@snowleopardnetwork.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Be sure to keep checking back for updates as plans develop!
~ Announcement ~
International Snow Leopard Conference
Beijing, China
9 – 11 March 2008
Panthera Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Society, Snow Leopard Trust,
and Snow Leopard Network
will jointly host an international conference on: Range-wide Conservation Planning for Snow Leopards.
The conference’s theme reflects the urgent need to bring together the most current knowledge of the species and set conservation strategies accordingly. Invited speakers will cover such relevant topics as:
– Community-based Conservation
– Threat Interventions
– Research Methods, and
– Range Country Status and Planning
At this time all invited speaker positions are filled. However, the conference is open for attendance to all interested parties. Information regarding conference registration and hotel options, will soon be available on the Snow Leopard Network website www.snowleopardnetwork.org
We regret that no additional travel grants are available.
See below for provisional agenda and speaker information. Leading experts in the field of snow leopard research and conservation will bring a wealth of information to the conference that will be a benefit to all persons interested in the future of this magnificent cat. We hope you can join us.
——————————————————————
International Snow Leopard Conference
Provisional Agenda
9 March Day One of Snow Leopard Symposium
Opening Session Tom McCarthy Facilitator
8:00 am – Opening remarks
8:05 am – Welcome by Institute of Zoology
8:15 am – Introductory talk & welcome Government of China
8:30 am – Welcome by Tom Kaplan – Panthera
8:40 am – Keynote speech: George Schaller
Working Session I:
Community Based Conservation Initiatives Jennifer Snell Rullman Facilitator
9:00 am Introductory remarks by facilitator
9:10 am Handicraft programs A. Bayarjargal
9:30 am Homestays and corral improvements Rinchen Wangchuk
9:50 am Livestock Husbandry/vaccinations Jaffar ud Din
10:10 am Trophy hunting as a conservation tool Mumtaz Malik
10:30 am Break
10:50 am Livestock Insurance and Grazing set-asides Charudutt Mishra
11:10 am Community-based Conservation Education Pranav Trivedi
11:40 am Economic incentives for communities: pros and cons Shafqat Hussain
Noon – Roundtable discussion on community-based conservation
1:00 pm – Break
Working Session II:
Management Issues Urs Breitenmoser Facilitator
2:00 pm Introductory Remarks by facilitator
2:10 pm Anti-Poaching/Enforcement Thorsten Harder
2:30 pm Training: Who, What, Where, and How Tony Lynam
2:50 pm Protected Areas, Corridors, and Stepping Stones: Landscape Level Planning for Snow
Leopard Conservation Eric Sanderson
3:10 pm Role of Transboundary Protected Areas Peter Zahler
3:30 pm Roundtable discussion on enforcement, training, and landscape level planning
3:45 pm – coffee break
Working Session III:
Status of national Snow Leopard Policy and the role of the SLSS Open Facilitator
4:05 pm – Remarks by facilitator
4:10 pm – Snow Leopard conservation policy in Uzbekistan Alexander Esipov
4:20 pm – Snow Leopard conservation policy in Russia Mikhail Paltsyn
4:30 pm – Snow Leopard conservation policy in Pakistan Ashiq Ahmad Khan
4:40 pm – Snow Leopard conservation policy in Mongolia Galsandorj Naranbaatar
4:50 pm – Snow Leopard conservation policy in India Yash Veer Bhatnagar
5:00 pm – Snow Leopard conservation policy Nepal Som Ale
5:10 pm – Snow Leopard conservation policy Bhutan Open
5:20 pm – The common thread: SLSS (is it helping?) David Mallon
5:35 pm – Roundtable discussion on the way forward
6:00 pm – close of day
10 March Day Two of Symposium
Working Session IV:
Research & Monitoring Techniques and Methods Jiang Zhigang Facilitator
Monitoring snow leopard numbers and trends
8:00 am – Introductory remarks by Facilitator
8:15 am – Monitoring a cryptic carnivore using occupancy models Raghu Chundawat
8:35 am – Camera trapping to monitor snow leopard Rodney Jackson
8:55 am – Genetic techniques for snow leopard population monitoring Jan Janecka
9:15 am – Conservation canines – feces ID by dogs Megan Parker
9:35 am – Tying the methods together – what works and what next? Kim Murray Berger
10:00 am – Coffee Break
Ecological Research
10:20 am – Advances in GPS collars: successes, problems and outlook Tom McCarthy
10:40 am – Predator-prey: What’s known, what’s needed, and how to get it Sandro Lovari
11:00 am – Highlights of other felid research: leopards and cheetahs Luke Hunter
11:30 am – Roundtable discussion on snow leopard research techniques
12:30 pm – lunch
Working Session V:
Snow Leopard Conservation Unit Breakout Groups Eric Sanderson Facilitator
1:30 pm – Snow Leopard Conservation Unit Breakout Groups –
discussion of conservation needs and priorities
3:00 pm – Coffee Break
3:30 pm – Country Level Snow Leopard Conservation Breakout Groups – Continued
11 March Day Three of Symposium
Working Session VI:
Country Presentations on Priority Conservation Initiatives Brad Rutherford
Facilitator
Reports by government or other national representatives based on Working Session V.
12:45 pm – Lunch break
Working Session VII:
Resolutions of the Conference Ashiq Ahmad Khan Facilitator
1:45 pm – Critical next steps to be agreed to by all parties
3:30 pm Official end of meeting