Uttarakhand is all set to develop India’s first Snow Leopard Conservation Centre. This centre will come up in Uttarkashi forests. Here’s what we know about it so far. By Kumar Shree
In a meeting held on Saturday, August 1, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, state forest minister, and other officials discussed the dynamics of creating India’s first Snow Leopard Conservation Center in the state. According to reports, the Uttarakhand Forest Department and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will develop this centre.
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The Snow Leopard Conservation Center will aim at conserving and restoring the Himalayan ecosystem, and create a livelihood for the locals. Apart from the conservation of snow leopards, the centre will work towards the welfare of other endangered Himalayan species too.
As reported by Times of India, Rawat said, “The total number of snow leopards should be counted in the state [and] special efforts should be made to preserve and increase [their population]. In the last few years, the areas where snow leopards [were] seen should be identified by the forest department by the cooperation of [locals] and military forces. These areas should be calculated by making grids.”
With the conservation of snow leopards, the authorities are also expecting to witness a spike in winter tourism. Since an array of wildlife species reside in the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand, they are a great source of attraction for tourists. An effort towards their conservation will reap multiple benefits.
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Multiple snow leopards have registered their presence in Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh districts of the state. The actual number of these shy cats are still unknown, though. Several pieces of research, however, suggest that around 86 snow leopards reside in Uttarakhand.
Apart from the Snow Leopard Conservation Center, Uttarakhand is also working towards developing six city forests in the state. The idea is to increase the green cover in urban areas.
These city forests will come up in the Kumaon region where two will be in the plains and four in the hilly districts. These regions are Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Dehradun, Nainital, and Pithoragarh.
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