Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson: Protecting the Sacred Snow Leopards of Asia's High Mountains скачать в хорошем качестве

Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson: Protecting the Sacred Snow Leopards of Asia's High Mountains

Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson, Executive Director of Snow Leopard Conservancy, works to lift up local conservationists protecting one of the world's most elusive cats across six countries in Central Asia. From stepping into the shoes of pioneering founders during COVID to developing One Health programs in remote villages at 17,000 feet, her approach centres on empowering communities as the true guardians of snow leopards. Snow leopards live in some of Earth's harshest environments, hunting on vertical cliffs at elevations where oxygen is half that of sea level. They're sacred to the indigenous communities who share their landscape and they're threatened by human-wildlife conflict, climate change, and the challenges of survival in an increasingly unstable mountain ecosystem. In this conversation: 0:00 - Introduction 3:00 - Stepping into Rodney and Darla's legacy during COVID lockdown 9:00 - The spiritual and sacred significance of snow leopards across cultures 18:00 - Snow leopard populations and how they count them 21:00 - Life at 17,000 feet: the postcard from the roof of the world 25:00 - Climate change impacts on the "third pole" (Asia's water towers) 32:00 - Human-wildlife conflict: When a snow leopard kills an entire herd overnight 40:00 - AI camera traps and technology in the high mountains 52:00 - The biggest surprise of stepping into executive director role 53:00 - Vision: Communities learning from one another to scale conservation About Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson: Ashleigh joined Snow Leopard Conservancy in 2020 as Vice President and became Executive Director in 2022. She holds a Master's degree in Wild Animal Biology from the Royal Veterinary College in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London. With over 20 years of experience in wildlife conservation and carnivore care, including roles at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, San Francisco Zoo, and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, she brings deep expertise to her work developing community-driven One Health programs in remote mountain communities. About Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC): Founded in 2000 by pioneers Rodney Jackson and Darla Hillard, Snow Leopard Conservancy works at the grassroots level across Central Asia to protect snow leopards through community-based conservation. SLC focuses on reducing human-wildlife conflict through predator-proof corrals, developing ecotourism programs like homestays that provide alternative livelihoods, supporting One Health veterinary programs, and working with indigenous spiritual leaders through their Land of the Snow Leopard Initiative. SLC is part of the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program, a union of 12 range countries. Track a snow leopard: Support conservation and follow a real snow leopard's journey with Fahlo's GPS tracking bracelets: https://myfahlo.com/products/snow-leo... Learn more about Snow Leopard Conservancy: Website: https://snowleopardconservancy.org/ Donate: https://wildnet.org/wildlife-programs... Facebook:   / snowleopardconservancy   Instagram: @snowleopardconservancy LinkedIn:   / snow-leopard-conservancy   CONNECT WITH SAVING WILDLIFE WITH SAM: Subscribe:    / @savingwildlifewithsam   Facebook:   / savingwildlife   Instagram:   / savingwildlifewithsam   Join the newsletter: https://forms.gle/3v5UCmN6CgLGGM3s5 Follow Sam on LinkedIn:   / sam-williams-0989483   Please like, comment, and share to help more people discover these conservation