Corporate Business And The Conservation Of The Snow Leopard: Worlds That Need Not Collide

Snow leopard habitat is under increasing pressure from extractive industries, infrastructure, and other forms of development. There has been little research to show direct impacts of such development on snow leopards, but evidence from other Central Asian species indicates that industrial activities are likely to have direct and indirect impacts on snow leopards: by damaging habitats and through ancillary activities including the building of roads and settlements, which fragment and open remote landscapes to poaching and livestock grazing. A number of business drivers encourage companies to engage in biodiversity conservation and to mitigate impacts. The International Finance Corporation (IFC)’s Performance Standard 6, among others, obligates companies to adhere to well-established mitigation hierarchy processes and to follow best practices. More enlightened companies plan for No Net Loss of Biodiversity. These tools coupled with NGO-corporate partnerships can potentially elevate biodiversity conservation to new levels, if well designed and benefiting from equal commitment on both sides.