Dr. Shafqat Hussain Holds Talk On Conservation of Snow Leopards

[Fakhar-i- Abbas]

Dr. Shafqat Hussain Holds Talk On Conservation of Snow Leopards

08 February, 2016

A talk by Dr. Shafqat Hussain, anthropologist and snow leopard conservationist, was held at Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS) this January. The talk was titled “The Politics of Human-Wildlife Conflict”, and was centered on the conservation of snow leopards in Northern Pakistan and its effects on the local population.
Dr. Hussain was of the view that conservation institutions and programs regard farmer-snow leopard conflict to be the biggest threat to the snow leopard population, and while they acknowledge the economic burden of livestock losses borne by local farmers, they implicitly associate this problem with 'disturbance' created by subsistence, mainly hunting and herding, practices of local farmers in a 'natural' ecosystem. Under this situation, farmers are forced to 'subsidize' snow leopard populations without any benefits. The benefit of this 'subsidy' goes to conservation NGOs, researchers and state agencies in the form of aesthetic and ethical satisfaction, professional achievement and funding, social and political power and prestige.
Based on this asymmetrical cost and benefit relation, Dr. Hussain argued that farmer-snow leopard conflict has become a conflict between two human groups - farmers and conservationists – over snow leopard, whereas coexistence (of the snow leopard and the surrounding human population) and a symbiotic nature-culture complex is the only way forward.
Moreover, he also spoke of the distinction between snow leopards being “endangered” or merely “vulnerable”, a distinction which could have significant impact on the attention conservation organisations are able to give to snow leopard conservation.
Dr. Shafqat Hussain is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Trinity College and the founder of Project Snow Leopard. He is also the recipient of the National Geographic Society’s Emerging Explorer Award in 2008, The Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2006 and the Award for Doctoral Dissertation Support, Teresa Heinz Scholars for Environmental Research in 2005.