Witness the evolution of women’s roles in conservation as they lead biodiversity monitoring projects, combining their knowledge with innovative technologies for lasting impact
For over two decades, we have been dedicated to protecting snow leopards and their prey species in India's trans-Himalayan region. While we continue to achieve significant progress through various conservation initiatives, we also want to explore innovative approaches to strengthen conservation efforts.
A key challenge we've encountered is the historically limited involvement of women in conservation activities, largely due to their demanding daily responsibilities. This disconnect often resulted in their negative attitudes toward wildlife. Recognizing this, we launched the "SHEN" initiative in 2013 in Spiti Valley. SHEN, which means "snow leopard" in the local dialect, was designed to bridge the gap between women and wildlife by establishing a conservation-driven enterprise. This initiative provided women with opportunities to produce and sell local products, thereby supplementing their incomes while supporting conservation.
Though the enterprise model eventually phased out, it left a lasting legacy. The women gained valuable skills in knitting, which many continue to use to create popular items like socks, beanies, and mufflers, sought by tourists. These interactions helped NCF build strong, trust-based relationships with women in the region, revealing a keen interest among them to engage in more scientific endeavours.
Carrying this footprint forward to continue engaging women in wildlife research, we organised a Camera Trap Training Workshop exclusively for the women of Kibber, Spiti valley, in 2023. The workshop delivered theoretical training followed by hands-on camera deployment in the field. Women of all ages participated, forming a diverse and dedicated team of eleven.
Bringing the theory to the field, a group of women successfully deployed camera traps for winter monitoring of snow leopards around Kibber village. This collaboration between the elder generation, with their deep-rooted knowledge of the landscape, and the younger generation, with their ease of using technology, created a powerful synergy.
In early 2024, a second round of training was provided to sort, tag and identify wildlife images based on the species captured during the camera trapping exercise. From having very little experience in using a computer system to now efficiently organizing folders, tagging images and entering data in excel sheets, the women have grown remarkably proficient in this. They continue to tag images captured as part of our larger long-term monitoring efforts. This exercise immensely helps in the initial stage of sorting data and preparing it for further analysis.
In the beginning we all had self doubts. It was intimidating to learn so many new things. But once we set up the cameras for the first time, we gained confidence. Each one of us faced a different challenge. Some of the older women, who are more familiar with the landscape, found it hard to use cameras and laptops. The younger women had much to learn about the pasture and navigating steep cliffs. But at the end of the day we all complimented each other…..Although not everyone would believe how far we have come, overall it is the collective effort of the village that we have made such leaps towards snow leopard conservation.Anecdote from the women of Kibber
The group of women were then given a third round of training in late 2024 to identify snow leopard individuals using unique rosette patterns from the head, flanks and tail. This intensive task is a key step in accurately estimating snow leopard populations. The women have accomplished identifying about a hundred snow leopard detections so far and creating profiles of individual snow leopards from the region. They have carried this out by working in pairs, with some pairs consisting of an elderly woman able to accurately match rosette patterns and a younger woman able to navigate the computer softwares.
The potential impact of this initiative is profound. What began as winter snow leopard monitoring could grow into a long-term project, with women leading and sustaining conservation efforts in the landscape. This grassroots movement has the potential to extend beyond Kibber, creating a network of empowered women driving conservation across the region.
The journey of empowering women in conservation across the trans-Himalayan landscape is a testament to the transformative power of inclusivity and collaboration. By harnessing the unique skills and knowledge of women, we not only enhance conservation efforts but also deepen the connection between communities and the natural world they are committed to protecting.