Future prospects for snow leopard survival

This book summarizes the enormous amount of conservation work and scientific research carried out during the past 20 years. Two key events that catalyzed these efforts were the Snow Leopard Survival Summit held in Seattle in May 2002 and the Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), launched in 2013. Rapid advances in technology over the same timeframe greatly facilitated research and increased the quantity and quality of the information obtained. A notable range of innovative community projects have been developed to ensure local people have a meaningful stake in snow leopard conservation. Several encouraging results and successful project outcomes have been reported, while knowledge of snow leopard ecology has been refined and enhanced. Nevertheless, snow leopards still face traditional and emerging threats, of which climate change poses the greatest potential risk. The snow leopard has been a source of inspiration for millennia, and it remains a flagship for the mountains of Asia, their cultural and spiritual values, their component biodiversity, and the vital ecosystem services they provide.