A former language teacher saves thousands
of snow leopards from the dangers of habitat destruction from mining companies.
The snow
leopard (Panthera uncia) is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of
central and south Asia. It is threatened
with extinction; less than several thousand remain on the planet.
“When I
learned about this cat it seemed to me quite amazing. You know, so secretive
and beautiful,” says Bayarjargal Agvaantseren. “And I also learned that these animals
faced so many threats.”
Bayarjargal
has devoted her life to protecting up to 1,000 rare snow leopards living in
southern Mongolia. The country’s Tost Mountain range is home to some of them. “Tost
is unique in the way that it has really good prey species,” says Bayarjargal.
The local
herders used to kill the big cats to protect their livestock. So, Bayarjargal
started a clever initiative to win their support. She started a livestock
insurance program. “The local herders agreed to insure their livestock; with
one goat being, say, 50 cents, she created a fund for them. Once local people’s
loss was compensated, their attitude changed. They didn’t see the snow leopard
as an enemy any more.”
 |
| Mongolian sheep herding |
But
Mongolias’ booming mining industry presented a new threat. Thirty-seven mining
licenses had been issued within the mountains in a critical area of the snow
habitat in the South Gobi Desert. “When we found out about the emerging threat
of mining, we just had to inform local people that their land is being given
away to mining licences, and the snow leopard’s habitat is going to be
disrupted. And because we had created all this trust with the local people,
they immediately got on board.” Bayarjargal started a campaign in 2009 to
create a huge nature reserve to prevent mining activities and protect the snow
leopard’s habitat.
“It was
challenging,” Bayarjargal said.
“The
first thing you would hear was: ‘the Mongolian economy is in a difficult
condition, who cares about the snow leopard.’ But with local people’s support,
pressure mounted on politicians. It was just a time that everything came
together. It was a time when politicians were all very active, preparing for
the next election. So, for those politicians, it was probably very important to
support something to attract their voters.”
 |
| Mining in Mongolia |
In 2016
the Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve was approved and two years later all mining
licences there were cancelled. The Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve is a 1.8
million acre federally protected area in Mongolia that connects two other
protected areas for a combined 20 million acres in the south Gobi, making one
of the largest snow leopard habitats in the world. It is Mongolia’s only park
specifically dedicated for snow leopard conservation.
Creating
a nature reserve based on an apex predator is particularly logical, given that
the apex predator represents (and embraces) an entire ecosystem. They are, if
you like, a logical representative—or sentinel—for that ecosystem and all the
habitat features that support it, including all prey species and what they feed
upon. You save the leopard and you save everything else that lives with it. In
Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List,
Itzhak Stern quotes a wise saying from the Talmud, “Whoever saves one life,
saves the world entire…”
“When we heard the news that Tost Mountain was declared as a nature reserve, I was overwhelmed with happiness. I was thinking, OK we reached our goal. But soon after I realized that it was just the start. I would like to develop this national park system that can be run by local people."
In recognition for her conservational
career, Agvaantseren was recently awarded the 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize for Asia, making her one of six people to
win the Goldman Environmental Prize.
Bayarjargal
Agvaantseren is an eco-hero.
Extinction Crisis: Our planet is
now in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals — the sixth
wave of extinctions in the past half-billion years. We're currently
experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the
dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, it
occurs at a natural “background” rate of about one to five species per year.
Scientists estimate we're now losing species at up to 1,000 times the
background rate, with literally dozens going extinct every day. as many as 30 to 50 percent of all species possibly heading
toward extinction by mid-century
The
majority of wildlife extinctions occurring right now—animals, plants, fungi,
insects—is a result of habitat destruction. See this site for more on the red list status of the snow leopard.
References:
Centre for
Biological Diversity. 2019. “The Extinction Crisis.” Centre for Biological
Diversity, Online:
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_crisis/
Chivian, E. and A.
Bernstein (eds.) 2008. Sustaining life: How human health
depends on biodiversity. Center for Health and the Global
Environment. Oxford University Press, New York.
Ibid. and Thomas, C. D.,
A. Cameron, R. E. Green, M. Bakkenes, L. J. Beaumont, Y. C. Collingham, B. F.
N. Erasmus, M. Ferreira de Siqueira, A. Grainger, Lee Hannah, L. Hughes, Brian
Huntley, A. S. van Jaarsveld, G. F. Midgley, L. Miles, M. A. Ortega-Huerta, A.
Townsend Peterson, O. L. Phillips, and S. E. Williams. 2004. Extinction risk
from climate change. Nature 427: 145–148.
Endangered
Species. 2009. In Encyclopædia Britannica.
Available in Encyclopedia Britannica Online at http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/186738/endangered-species.
This article is part of a series of posts that will feature an eco-hero in the singular altruistic act of helping this planet cope and heal from the self-serving, unkind and cruel actions of a humanity pre-occupied with itself. I hope you will join me in celebrating the selfless actions of these individuals on behalf of Gaia.
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