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News: India observed International Snow Leopard Day through the ‘#23for23’ campaign.
About #23for23 Initiative
- Organised by: The Initiative was organised by the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP) and the Snow Leopard Trust Worldwide.
- Objective: The objective was to engage citizens in snow leopard conservation by raising awareness about the animals, their fragile mountain habitats, and the challenges they face.
- In India: People across India were encouraged to dedicate 23 minutes of physical activity – such as walking, running, or cycling – in support of the cause.
- Rationale for “23”: The number “23” was chosen to correspond with the date, October 23rd – International Snow Leopard Day.
About Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP)
- It is an intergovernmental alliance of 12 snow leopard range countries.
- Origin: It was established in 2013 through the Bishkek Declaration.
- Member countries: It includes Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
- Goal: To conserve the snow leopard and its high-mountain ecosystems by addressing issues like habitat degradation, poaching, and human-animal conflict.
- Target: The earlier target was ‘Secure 20 by 2020’ which aimed to identify and secure 20 landscapes and it has now been extended to 24 identified landscapes.
- Structure
- A Ministerial-level Steering Committee guides implementation and reviews progress.
- A Secretariat is based in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, for coordination.
- Five Global Support Components cover law enforcement, knowledge sharing, transboundary cooperation, industry engagement, and research and monitoring.
- India’s involvement
- India is a founding member of the GSLEP program.
- The GSLEP programme aligns with India’s Project Snow Leopard and the SECURE Himalaya project.
- Significance : The programme enables science-based monitoring, habitat protection, and community participation to secure the species and its fragile mountain ecosystems.
