1 Trophy hunting

Trophy hunting is a form of sport hunting where male animals are hunted for their horns or antlers. Community-based trophy hunting programs (CTHP) were introduced in Pakistan because it was recognized that only the communities’ willingness could effectively preserve wildlife and related habitats and that they needed positive incentives, such as community benefits, to do so (Shackleton, 2001).

The overarching goal of CTHP is described as ‘ to conserve and enhance wild ungulate populations and their habitat by optimizing community benefits across the Northern Areas” (WWF-Pakistan, 2004). Such schemes have been introduced in many spots and are considered to be generally successful.

The total fee paid to the communities is 80% of the total revenue from trophy hunting and this fee must be invested in a Village Conservation Fund (VCF) for conservation and community benefits. The government gets 20% for administration and management expenses ( WWF-Pakistan, 2004).
6.1.1 Criteria for community-based trophy hunting programs
A community in Northern Areas only becomes eligible for a CTHP if it has developed and implemented its own valid conservation plans. The plan must comply with the following minimum requirements.
Information on all the huntable species
Baseline population size
Agreement to cease all illegal hunting.
Minimum population size that will sustain hunting to occur
Procedure for identifying annual quotas
Utilization of funds in different sectors, i.e. self-sustaining programs, watch and ward, etc.
Conservation initiatives to be undertaken to meet population goals especially habitat improvement and control of hunting and poaching
Monitoring plans, population monitoring techniques and agreements to external monitoring
(WWF-Pakistan, 2004).

WWF-Pakistan in trophy hunting

This organization is helping communities to establish trophy hunting programs in many ways. For example, a training was conducted by WWF-Pakistan in May, 2004 in Bar valley (Ali and Alam, 2004). The overall objective of this training was to enable village wildlife guides (VWGs) to survey independently and more effectively in order to ensure trophy hunting program sustainability.

The specific objectives were to:
Build capacity of the local village wildlife guides in survey techniques.
Acquaint them with their roles and responsibilities.
Train VWGs for proper and effective utilization of survey equipment.
Prepare them for proper facilitation of hunters during hunting.
Training methodology

Such trainings are a necessary component of the trophy hunting program. WWF-Pakistan has conducted many such trainings over the years to train wildlife guides in Bar and Astore valleys (Rehmat Ali, Conservation Officer, WWF-Pakistan, Gilgit, pers. comm.). It also collects data on animal status and hunting statistics in its trophy hunting areas.

1.4 Other NGOS in trophy hunting

Apart from WWF-Pakistan, IUCN Pakistan is also involved in trophy hunting programs through its MACP initiative. According to Hunnam et al. (2003) this initiative has achieved the following until 2003:
Strengthened the scientific basis for managing the hunting of selected big game like markhor and ibex, as a sustainable means of income
Assisted government wildlife departments to develop the regulations and procedures for governing trophy hunting of these species as commercial community enterprises which attract sports hunters
Assisted local communities to plan and prepare for operating trophy hunting as a business (such as training them in survey and monitoring of animal populations) and sharing the proceeds equitably
Helped to promote the industry among national and international hunters associations

2: World Conservation Society

The following excerpt is taken from the World Conservancy Society (WCS) description of its project to conserve wildlife in Northern Areas (WCS, 2003):

“WCS began work in Pakistan in 1996 to help protect one of the last extensive arid conifer forests in the Western Himalayas. It is also the main habitat of the endangered woolly flying squirrel.

This multi-year program was developed to help protect one of the last extensive arid conifer forests in the Western Himalayas, an area that has been deemed a Global 200 Eco region, an Endemic Bird Area of Urgent Biological Importance, and a Center for Floral Endemism. It is also the main habitat of the endangered woolly flying squirrel. The woolly flying squirrel - the world's largest squirrel - was thought to be extinct due to lack of research and the difficulty associated with navigating its natural habitat. After one was captured in 1994, research began to reveal more about this species.

Project efforts to protect the habitat of northern Pakistan included the creation of village and valley conservation organizations, teacher training workshops and conservation curriculum materials distributed to 78 teachers from 13 valleys, and community-wide conservation education meetings held in each valley reaching over 2,000 villagers. WCS facilitated agreements to slow or stop logging and hunting in many of these valleys.

Efforts in 2001 involved creating a resource mapping program. This phase of the project trained community members from each valley to use and fill in maps to create a resource inventory for their valleys. The inventory program was designed to have two results: to further develop and focus community interest in resources and sustainable resource use; and to create a database that can be used to develop sensible resource management plans for each valley based on traditional resource rights, with a goal of at least minimizing habitat destruction, especially to the remaining conifer forests of the area.
Next steps
Continue working with local people to improve resource mapping of the different valleys to gain complete data on the region
Restart fieldwork to study the woolly flying squirrel and other species of wildlife as political conditions improve
Continue working to prevent deleterious logging practices and involve local communities in enforcing logging regulations and designing sustainable logging practices
Develop, with local communities, natural resource management plans for each valley”

3: International Snow Leopard Trust

The International Snow Leopard Trust (ISLT) is dedicated to the conservation of the endangered snow leopard and its mountain ecosystem through balanced approach that considers the needs of the people and the environment.

ISLT programs encourage local people to find ways to live in harmony with nature by providing supplies, training, and support for park and reserve staff; developing environment education programs for use in mountain villages; assisting with the training of scientists from snow leopard countries, and funding and coordinating field research on snow leopard and other wildlife in the region (Jackson and Ahmed, 1995).

The snow leopard inhabits comparatively arid alpine regions in northern Pakistan. including Gilgit, Skardu, Ganche and Hunza regions. Khunjerab National Park is known to support a good population of the species.

Based on encounters with hunters, Schaller (1977) concluded that the density of snow leopards in Himalayas was low even in the beginning of the century. He estimated the total population of snow leopards in Pakistan at less than 250 in the 1970s. The Forest department in Gilgit estimated the Northern Areas population of snow leopard in 1994 to be 260.

Survival of snow leopards in Pakistan faces the following challenges:
• Loss of prey populations
• Killing by herdsmen to protect livestock
• Poaching for pride
• Protection and pelts
• Lack of awareness

Recently ISLT, WWF-Pakistan and other local partner organizations helped devise and adopt a strategy for the conservation of the snow leopard and its prey species in Pakistan. Major elements of this strategy include:

• Legal provisions/measures
• Establishment of protected areas
• Conservation education
• Community participation in conservation

The ISLT A ten days training workshop on the Snow Leopard Information Management System (SLIMS) was held in Chitral from 7-16 June 1994. This workshop was organized jointly by ISLT, WWF-Pakistan and the NWFP wildlife department and aimed to provide training on the collection of information on snow leopard distribution, population status, prey species and habitat. A monitoring system was also discussed and literature was provided to the participants for use during the implementation of SLIMS. The NWFP wildlife department conducts periodic surreys of snow leopard and other wildlife species in the province. Similar workshops were organized in Khunjerab National Park and Chitral Goal National Park in 1998.