The Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust (SLC-IT) is a non-profit conservation organization for the protection of

snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia'') is a species of large cat in the genus ''Panthera'' of the family Felidae. The species is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because ...

s (''Panthera uncia''), its prey species, and its habitat in

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The trust primarily focuses on the Indian range of the

. Apart from conservation and ecological research on the snow leopard, the SLC-IT initiated the Himalayan Homestay Program in 2003.

History

The Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust was formed in 2000 as the Indian branch of the

Snow Leopard Conservancy The Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) was founded in 2000 by Dr Rodney Jackson, a leading expert on snow leopards (''Panthera uncia'') and their habitat. The conservancy works to engage and incorporate local communities in protecting snow leopards i ...

. It became an independent organization of India in 2003.

Community-based conservation

SLC-IT has been active at the community level and prioritizes Community-based conservation who share the resources with snow leopard and other mountain wildlife on a daily basis.

Environmental education

The conservancy produces educational materials highlighting biodiversity and conservation issues in Ladakh. Partnering with

Kalpavriksh Kalpavriksh is a non-profit organisation based in India with its office in Pune, Maharashtra. The organisation takes up research, networking, education, grassroots work, advocacy and activism in the field of environment, ecology, development, and ...

, a Pune-based organization, in bringing up the Ri Gyancha (jewels of the mountains), a biodiversity resource kit for

, which has been used by both children and educators. Teacher training is an integral part of their educational initiatives, which also extend to providing education and training for graduate students and adults.

Awards and recognition

* 2004 – First Choice Responsible Tourism Award at the World Travel Market * 2005 – Global Vision Award for Community Outreach * 2008 – Finalists in the Geo-tourism Challenge by National Geographic's Centre for Sustainable Destinations and Ashoka Changemakers * 2013 – Favorite Responsible Tourism Initiative Award b
Outlook Traveller
* 2015 – Earth Guardian Award by the Royal Bank of Scotland * 2016 – IRTA-Gold in Best Contribution to Wildlife Conservation * 2016 – IRTA-Overall Winner * 2018 – Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award * 2018 – TOFTigers Wildlife Tourism Award

References

{{Reflist

External links

SLC-IT official website

Himalayan Homestays website
Nature conservation organisations based in India Cat conservation organizations