“The future lies in the hands of young generation; therefore I call upon all the countries to encourage and engage youth in the task of the conservation and management of the snow leopard and its habitat” said Prime Minister Puspha  Kamal Dahal in his speech on the second Global Snow Leopard steering committee meeting on Jan 20, 2017.

Likewise, at the same meeting Shankhar Bhandari, Minister of Forest and Soil Conservation, announced a plan to establish a Himalayan Research Centre in the country to encourage youth in snow leopard research and conservation.

Maheshhwar Dhakal, Joint secretary at the ministry, said that protection of snow leopard and its habitat conservation is largely dependent on the involvement of local youth and local communities as they were primary beneficiaries of mountain ecosystem and the environmental services produced by it.In the Kathmandu declaration, all 12 snow-leopard range countries decided to engage youth in research on the snow leopard and Himalayan ecosystem. If the Kathmandu Declaration is implemented in the proper way, our future generation will know how to protect the endangered snow leopard.

The conference has motivated energetic youth to make their strong participation in the conservation. The aims of the global efforts and the progress made in the protection of snow leopard and its habitat will be successful through the broader engagement of the youth.

The engagement of the youth can make the change for the protection of snow leopard. This is very good initiative by the countries inhabited by the snow leopard population for the sustainable preservation of this wonderful species on earth.

For Nepal, it is the life time opportunity that Snow Leopard Research Centre will be established for the first time here. Till date, it is not known about the actual population of the snow leopards left in the wild in these 12 countries because of lack of scientific research. An estimated population of 300-500 snow leopards is believed to be left in Nepal’s Himalayas. The number of the snow leopards is still the same as it had been estimated in the 1980s because there has not been any further research about this illusive creature. The major challenges faced in the process of snow leopard conservation such as human-wildlife conflict, natural disasters, climate change, habitat loss and poaching can be solved from the proper mobilization of the youth.