By Raajwrita Dutta
One of the conservancy鈥檚 most important initiatives is a livestock insurance scheme designed to reduce human-wildlife conflict, a common issue in pastoral communities. Each household contributes Rs 400 per year to a village fund. If a snow leopard kills livestock, the family is compensated, they receive Rs 5,000 for a small animal and Rs 7,000 for a larger one.
Living alongside the ferocious predator isn鈥檛 a dream for the pastoral communities of Ladakh. But maintaining their livelihoods through schemes like this makes it possible. Namgail says the felines are fondly called 鈥楻i Gyancha鈥, which translates to 鈥榦rnaments of the mountains鈥.
Tourism that gives back
This change in attitude is partly due to the economic incentives linked to the presence of snow leopards. A major success story has been the Himalayan Homestay Programme, launched in 2001. It began with a simple idea, instead of building tourist camps that generate waste, why not have visitors stay in local homes? The conservancy surveyed villages and found strong support for the concept.
Today, more than 200 homestays operate in 40 Ladakhi villages. 鈥淭hese funds are created uniquely: 10 percent of all homestays鈥 income goes into a 鈥榲illage conservation fund鈥, which is used by villagers for tree planting, garbage cleaning, and maintenance of their cultural heritage, such as mani walls, chortens, and sacred juniper stands,鈥 explains Dr Namgail.
Choosing to stay in one of these homestays generates funds for communities that they use to protect their mountain environment. The villagers also host guests on a rotational basis. 鈥淭his is done so that no single family can monopolise the tourists. Because if that were to happen, it would create disharmony in the village,鈥 he says.
Safeguarding livestock and landscapes
The Conservancy also supports the construction of predator-proof livestock enclosures using low-cost and locally sourced materials. 鈥淰illagers provide the labour while SLC-IT provides wire mesh, doorframes, beams, and wooden poles,鈥 says Namgail.