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PRELIMS BOOSTERS 2018
Snow leopard /Ounce((Panthera uncia) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Snow leopard (ounce)
- Vulnerable — IUCN
- State animal of Himachal Pradesh
- Native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia
- Habitat
- Inhabits alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m (9,800 to 14,800 ft), ranging from western Afghanistan to Mongolia and western China( Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau)
- India — Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh
- Threats
- Habitat loss and degradation
- Decline of the cats’ large mammal prey
- Poaching — body parts used for traditional Chinese medicine
- Protected areas
- Hemis National Park — Jammu and Kashmir
- Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary
- Nanda Devi National Park — Uttarakhand
- Global Snow Leopard Forum, 2013
12 countries encompassing the snow leopard’s range (Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan)
Bishkek Declaration – To protect the species and it’s environment
- Global Snow Leopard and Eco-system Protection Program
- joint initiative of range country governments, international agencies, civil society, and the private sector
- Goal — secure the long-term survival of the snow leopard in its natural ecosystem.
- 2015 — International Year of the Snow Leopard
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Established in 1972 — result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference)
- Headquarter — Nairobi, Kenya
- Agency of United Nations that coordinates its environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices
- Publishes Global environment outlook
- seven thematic areas of work:
- climate change
- disasters and conflicts
- ecosystem management
- environmental governance
- chemicals and waste
- resource efficiency
- environment under review
- secretariats of multilateral environmental agreements
- The Convention on Biological Diversity
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
- The Minamata Convention on Mercury
- The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
- The Vienna Convention for the Protection of Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol
- The Convention on Migratory Species – Bonn convention
- The Carpathian Convention – 2003 — subregional treaty to foster the sustainable development and the protection of the Carpathian region
- The Bamako Convention – 1998 — treaty of African nations prohibiting the import into Africa of any hazardous (including radioactive) waste
- The Tehran Convention — Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea,
