Footprints Project

A total of
2957
Travelers
donated
$18016.08
(100% funded)
to help improve
Environment
impacting
100
people
in
India

Project Background

Known as a haven for high-elevation wildlife, Zanskar in Northern India is an important habitat for snow leopards. It is also home to 81 villages and over 15,000 people with 30,000 livestock. Snow leopards are under threat in this region in part because of their propensity to kill livestock in poorly constructed corrals at night - fuelling human-wildlife conflict.

In Zanskar, rampant infrastructure development, mass tourism and the exodus of youth from villages to bigger cities have also been detrimental to wildlife conservation - as well as to traditional livelihoods.

This project, in partnership with the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust, targets vulnerable groups, including women, youth and low-income families in remote parts of Ladakh, to address human-snow leopard conflicts and promote conservation.

Key Project Activities

Key interventions include:

Building snow leopard-proof corrals to reduce livestock losses and foster positive community attitudes toward conservation.
Creating sustainable income opportunities through ecotourism and handicraft development, focusing on marginalised youth and women.
Strengthening community-government collaboration to ensure long-term habitat protection and support for conservation initiatives.
Raising awareness among college students about snow leopards’ ecological importance, climate change impacts and conservation needs.

By reducing conflict and promoting sustainable livelihoods, the project aims to secure a future for snow leopards and the communities of Zanskar.

Key Project Outcomes

Snow leopard-proof corrals

Built 12 corrals in five villages, protecting livestock of 1,612 people from 229 households.
Since corral construction, no depredation has been reported.

Handicraft training for local women

30 women trained to make snow leopard-themed crafts; ongoing support for production.
57% earned supplemental income totalling ?69,050
Follow-up training, product diversification, and hotel partnerships underway to boost income

Training marginalized youth as nature guides

14 youths trained (13 men, 1 woman) in biodiversity, guiding skills, safety, and conservation.
8 of 14 secured guiding work, showing improved confidence and client interaction.
Future focus: expand female participation and certify more guides from additional villages.

Local government and community engagement

Participatory planning led to approval of 10 government-funded predator-proof corrals, expanded waste management, women-led reusable tableware initiatives, and formal environment committee roles in local governments.

Student research on snow leopards and ecology

43 students and 13 faculty oriented on biodiversity, with 12 students (all girls) conducting field surveys in Honya Valley.
Students trained in vegetation sampling and animal sign surveys
Built foundation for future conservation leadership and awareness of climate change impacts.

What’s next?

In the last year of the project, they have the following goals:

Construction of 7 new snow leopard-proof corrals and monitoring of all existing corrals, including the 10 government-funded corrals
Support for women’s handicraft production and income generation, including refresher training and liaison with local outlets to improve sales.
Refresher training and employment support for youth nature guides to enhance skills and job opportunities.
Strengthening of community conservation governance structures in two villages by supporting implementation of action plans and improving coordination with local government.
Engagement of college students in ecological literacy and field-based research, including village presentations to raise awareness about the importance of snow leopard conservation.
Implementation of post intervention surveys to assess % increase of people supportive of snow leopards and their habitat conservation at the end of the project.
External evaluation of project impact with recommendations to guide future programming and sustainability planning.