Ladakh L-G VK Saxena approves India’s first high-altitude wildlife safari

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved introducing a wildlife safari on popular snow-leopard and bird-watching trails in high-altitude regions of the Union Territory.

A spokesman said this would be India’s first-ever high-altitude wildlife safari, providing the visitors with a rare guided opportunity to witness Ladakh’s distinctive flora and fauna.

Officials said the L-G has directed the Forest Department to introduce guided Jeep Safari on the lines of popular national parks like Kaziranga, Ranthambore and others, using specially designed open-back vehicles to be operated by trained local drivers and guides.

“The objective behind introducing guided safaris is to prevent incidents of illegal off-roading and wildlife disturbance, besides strengthening sustainable and responsible eco-friendly tourism and enhancing visitors’ experience,” the spokesman said.

The decision was taken in the first governing body meeting of the newly constituted Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature (SHAN) Conservation Society that was chaired by L-G Saxena.

The Lieutenant Governor has directed the Forest Department to explore the possible safari routes across Hemis National Park, Changthang and Karakoram wildlife sanctuaries, apart from areas like Nubra, Zanskar, Sham, Kargil and Drass that are known to have a sizeable presence of elusive snow leopards and vivid avian diversity.

It has further been decided that 20 local youth would be selected, trained in bird-watching, bird identification and bird-spotting skills and would be provided equipment like binoculars. Besides, 10 bird-watching hides would be created at major hotspots.

Notably, Ladakh is home to India’s largest snow leopard population – 477 of the country’s estimated 718 snow leopards. Ladakh also supports over 38 mammal species, 340 bird species and 1,800 vascular plant species that have drawn substantial tourist attraction over the years.

The SHAN Society, constituted by the Lieutenant Governor on June 16, seeks to formulate a comprehensive roadmap for community-led wildlife conservation, waste management and promoting plastic-free tourism, sustainable livelihood generation and responsible tourism across Ladakh.

Saxena termed Ladakh’s unique wildlife and fragile high-altitude ecosystem as its greatest natural asset and said that conservation efforts could only succeed when local communities become equal partners in protecting nature and also benefit economically from it.

“Through SHAN, we are creating a model that integrates wildlife conservation, responsible eco-tourism, environmental education, empowering local communities and creating sustainable livelihoods for them. These efforts aim at conserving Ladakh’s natural heritage so that future generations inherit an ecosystem that is richer, healthier and more resilient. Our vision is to establish Ladakh as a global example of community-led conservation and responsible high-altitude mountain tourism,” said L-G Saxena.