Predator-Proof Corrals Protecting Snow Leopards and Livestock in the Karakoram

Founded in Islamabad in 2008, Snow Leopard Foundation Pakistan works with mountain communities in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir to reduce human-carnivore conflict, combining camera-trap research with predator-proof corrals, livestock vaccination drives, and community-run insurance schemes that compensate herders for losses instead of letting them retaliate against leopards. Its Snow Leopard Enterprises program trains local women in embroidery and handicrafts sold under the Punaar brand, turning conservation buy-in into household income. SLF's community-based livestock insurance model now covers 40 valleys, and in June 2024 the organization received Pakistan's National Biodiversity Conservation Award on World Environment Day for its habitat-restoration and land-management work.