ISLAMABAD: The Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator, Mushahid Ullah Khan, said that Pakistan is committed to join global efforts and play its part for protection and conservation of endangered snow leopard.
He said the population of snow leopards has declined rapidly in the country because of varied reasons including illegal hunting, said a press release.
He expressed these views while delivering his speech at the inaugural ceremony of the first high-level two-day meeting of steering committee of the Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) programme.
Mushahid Ullah Khan told the participants from 12 countries at the meeting including India, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Russia and China that only about 4,000 - 6,500 snow leopards are alive today but the number is falling fast. Poaching, hunting and climate change are among the major threat they face, which are found only in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
In Pakistan, the population of snow leopards is between 100-200, he said.
"Snow leopards are in trouble - and only humans can help by joining efforts of the respective governments aimed at controlling their illegal hunting and poaching at all levels," the minister urged.
He hoped that joint efforts across countries to be pledged at the GSEP meeting in Bishkek will help protect snow leopards from extinction and yield a range of positive results, such as preserving biodiversity.
Mushahid Ullah Khan also added that a big part of the GSLEP strategy will focus on educating rural mountain and herder communities about the need to protect snow leopards, engaging them in conservation efforts, and helping them have sustainable livelihoods, to prevent an overlap in food sources.
Mushahid Ullah Khan also reiterated Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's commitment for protection and conservation of snow leopard in this regard.
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