Country Profile: India




                                                                                                        Image by Flowcomm / Flickr


                      OVERVIEW
  Project Title: Securing Livelihoods, Conservation,
  Sustainable Use, and Restoration of High Range
  Himalayan Ecosystems (SECURE-Himalayas)
  Project Sites: The Ladakh Autonomous Region of Jammu
  & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and
  Arunachal Pradesh
  Species Focus: Snow Leopards and medicinal plants
  Total Project Cost: $11.5 million
  Executing Partner: Ministry of Environment, Forest, and
  Climate Change
  GEF Implementing Agency: UNDP
  Contact: Ruchi Pant, ruchi.pant@undp.org


CONTEXT                                                                   PROJECT COMPONENTS
The high range Himalayan Ecosystem in India harbors important             The GWP India project aims to enhance the
biodiversity and ecosystems that are essential life-support systems for   ecological integrity and economic security of high
a remote and rural communities. Since the harsh climate and               range Indian Himalayan Ecosystem.
topography of the area are less conducive to agriculture and industry,
most of the region’s population is dependent on livestock. Livestock      The project components are:
numbers have increased significantly over the years, resulting in
degradation due to overgrazing. Additionally, these ecosystems serve      1. Conservation of key biodiversity areas and their
as critical habitats for snow leopards and other threatened species.         effective management to secure long-term
The human wildlife conflict (HWC) that results from the rural                ecosystem resilience, habitat connectivity and
communities and snow leopards sharing habitats and ecosystems,               conservation of snow leopard and other
poaching, poor law enforcement, illegal wildlife trade, and the impact       endangered species and their habitats
of climate change endangers the species further.                          2. Securing sustainable community livelihoods and
                                                                             natural resource management
India’s ongoing conservation efforts include establishment of a           3. Enhancing enforcement, monitoring, and
National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). In addition,         cooperation to reduce wildlife crime and related
India is a participating state in CITES Rhinoceros Enforcement Task          threats
Force. The country also launched the National Mission on Himalayan        4. Improved knowledge, advocacy and information
Studies (NMHS), and in 2009 launched the Recovery Programme for              systems for promotion of landscape
16 Critically Endangered Species that includes the snow leopard.             conservation approaches

                      See the World Bank website for more information: Global Wildlife Program