10 June 2014: The National Focal Points Action Planning, Leadership and Capacity Development Workshop concluded with agreement on the next steps to address the implementation of priority snow leopard conservation activities, including funding.

More than 40 participants from 10 of the 12 snow leopard range states met from 6-11 June 2014, in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, to: enhance capacity of the National Focal Points and Working Secretariat staff; develop effective leadership teams to support national institutional arrangements for the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) program implementation; identify 20 Snow Leopard Landscapes in which to achieve the GSLEP’s “Secure 20 by 2020” goal; define National Priority Activities (NPAs) and Global Priority Activities (GPAs) for the first two-year Implementation Plan; develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure progress towards the goal; and advance preparation of specific project proposals for the relevant funding partners.

Yoko Watanabe, Global Environment Facility (GEF), described the funding opportunities for snow leopard conservation under GEF-6. Bert Lenten, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), led, with Tajikistan, a session on transboundary conservation, highlighting the proposed Central Asia Mammals Initiative, which will be tabled at the forthcoming eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to CMS. Ioana Botezatu, Interpol, chaired a session on illegal trade in snow leopards, highlighting the role of Interpol in supporting national enforcement agencies in the fight against illegal trade.

The meeting was hosted by Kyrgyzstan in partnership with, inter alia, the World Bank Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), GEF, USAID, CMS, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Interpol, Snow Leopard Trust, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and TRAFFIC. [IISD RS Sources] [Website of Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Program] [World Bank Page on Global Snow Leopard Conservation Forum] [Biodiversity Policy & Practice article on World Bank GTI – snow leopard conservation meeting]