Constitution of Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature Conservation Society approved in Ladakh
Leh: Ladakh Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Tuesday approved the constitution of first-of-its-kind ‘Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature’ (SHAN) Conservation Society, which will act as a dedicated institutional mechanism for wildlife conservation and community-led environmental stewardship in the Union Territory.
The LG of Ladakh will be the chairman of the society, while the chief secretary, Ladakh MP, chief executive councillor, LAHDC, Leh, the chief executive councillor, LAHDC, Kargil, and the principal secretary, Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, will be the ex-officio members, an official spokesperson said.
He said the society will also have Palga Rinpoche, head of Naljorling Monastery, Sejal Worah, Programme Director, WWF India, Sandesh Kadur, Explorer Trustee of the National Geographic Society Board of Trustees, President, Women’s Alliance of Ladakh, and Ghulam Mohammad Khan, Chairman, Ladakh Centre for Peace and Sustainable Development, as its members.
The society will promote, assist and mobilise resources for the conservation of wildlife and their habitat, eco-development in the vicinity of areas inhabited by snow leopard, its co-existing species, and promote eco-tourism and sustainable livelihood, the spokesperson of the Lok Bhavan said.
Since assuming charge as the LG of Ladakh, Saxena has consistently placed environmental protection and ecological resilience at the centre of governance.
“Environmental protection has been one of our foremost priorities in Ladakh, where fragile mountain ecosystems demand a development model that places conservation at its very core. The snow leopard is not merely a wildlife species; it is an integral part of Ladakh’s ecological identity and natural heritage.
“The SHAN Conservation Society represents an important institutional initiative to promote science-based and community-driven conservation while ensuring that ecological preservation and sustainable livelihoods progress hand in hand,” the LG said.
The spokesperson said the establishment of the SHAN Conservation Society is another significant milestone in this broader environmental agenda and is the result of the LG’s personal intervention and sustained efforts to create a robust institutional framework for biodiversity conservation in Ladakh.
He said the society has been formed as a multi-stakeholder platform to promote conservation of Ladakh’s unique alpine fauna, including snow leopards, a variety of flora, wetlands and fragile cold desert ecosystems.
It will facilitate scientific monitoring and research, strengthen biodiversity management, mitigate human-wildlife conflict, promote community-led conservation initiatives and support sustainable eco-tourism and livelihood generation.
The initiative assumes greater significance for the conservation of the snow leopard, the state animal of Ladakh, and one of the world’s most elusive and endangered big cats, the spokesperson said.
Revered as the ‘Ghost of the Mountains’, the snow leopard is a keystone species whose presence reflects the health of the entire Trans-Himalayan ecosystem.
Its conservation is intrinsically linked with the protection of mountain habitats, prey species, watersheds and biodiversity that sustain life in the region. The species has also emerged as a global symbol of Ladakh’s rich natural heritage and holds immense potential for promoting responsible eco-tourism and community-based conservation.
