Snow Leopard Conservation in remote Mongolia

The Mongolian Altai is one of the most remote and dramatic mountain ranges left on Earth. Ice capped peaks rise above vast steppe, home to an astonishing cast of wildlife: snow leopards, argali sheep, Siberian lynx, wolverines, golden eagles, Pallas's cats, and more. It is a landscape that looks permanent and unbreakable, but beneath that rugged surface lies a fragile ecosystem increasingly threatened by overgrazing and climate change.

This is not a wildlife watching tour. This is hands on conservation fieldwork. You will join Barry Rosenbaum and the Altai Institute's Mongolian field team as they carry out snow leopard trapping, collaring, and monitoring operations in the western Altai. You will help set and check snares, collect camera trap data, and if the team captures a snow leopard, you will observe the tranquilization and collaring process firsthand, assisting with measurements and biological sampling. This is the real work of saving a species.

The snow leopard is a highly cryptic carnivore native to the mountains of Central Asia whose global population is estimated between around 3,000 mature individuals. The species is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and has been given the highest legal protection in the countries where it is found. Despite their protected status, remaining snow leopard populations are still increasingly subject to pressure from habitat degradation and fragmentation, mining and development, retaliatory killing in response to livestock predation, poaching, and increasingly, climate change.  Climate models estimate that by 2070 only 35% of current snow leopard range will remain as stable climate refugia, of which the Altai Mountains is the largest fragment. Global interest in protecting this elusive cat continues to rise, but of the big cats, the snow leopard remains among the least studied as they are challenging to study in the remote and rugged mountain habitats in which they live.

The Altai Institute has studied snow leopards in western Mongolia since 2014. Their camera and collaring program is generating critical data on snow leopard distribution and behavior in a region that may determine the future of the species. The Institute has also been invited to lead the central portion of Mongolia's three year national snow leopard population assessment. Their approach is community driven, working alongside nomadic herders to promote sustainable grazing practices that protect both wildlife habitat and the traditional way of life that has defined this landscape for millennia. 90% of grasslands degraded by herders can be recovered naturally within 10 years if they can shift to sustainable rangeland management. But if we can't change the existing management today, it will be too late. After five to 10 years Mongolia's grasslands will be transformed into an ecosystem that will be unusable, bringing an end to native wild species and to Mongolians' traditional way of life.  

Barry Rosenbaum will be with you from Ulaanbaatar to the field and back. He will introduce you to the science, the equipment, the team, and the terrain. Between field sessions, you will explore the surrounding mountains searching for snow leopards and other wildlife in one of the most breathtaking and least visited corners of Central Asia.

Our team has rated this expedition as moderate to strenuous: expect daily hikes at altitude in mountainous terrain, carrying field equipment to and from trapping sites. You should be in good physical condition and comfortable with extended time in remote, rugged environments. Weather in the Altai can shift quickly, and temperatures may vary significantly between day and night. Extreme cold temperatures are possible, snow is likely! Our team will send a gear list for participants who sign up for the trip.

Expedition Team: your expedition leader, Barry Rosenbaum, is a conservationist and researcher who has studied snow leopards in western Mongolia since 2014 through the Altai Institute. His camera and collaring program is generating new and important data on the distribution and behavior of snow leopards in one of the most critical regions for the species' future. Barry's work extends beyond wildlife research. The Altai Institute uses community driven approaches to conserve the wildlife, land, and culture of the Mongolian Altai, working closely with nomadic herders to promote sustainable grazing and protect one of the last great mountain ecosystems on the planet.

Barry will accompany you from Ulaanbaatar to the field and back. He will guide you through every aspect of the fieldwork, help you understand the science behind the conservation effort, and share his deep knowledge of the Altai landscape and the communities that call it home.