A governance analysis of the snow leopard, its habitat and (Digital) data: Who owns charismatic animals and who drives and uses the agenda for what?

Abstract

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a highly charismatic species of the Hindu Kush-Himalaya (HKH) region occurring in app. 13 nations of Central Asia. However, often national budgets are not sufficient, or the lack of awareness and capacity does not allow for managing the species, its habitat and the atmosphere well. Poaching, habitat loss and other management problems are common for the snow leopard while climate change remains unabated also. Data for this species are virtually not shared open access with the global community while private NGOs can be more powerful than entire nations that are a host of snow leopards. Using the publicly available records like those available from grey literature reports, webportals like GBIF.org and peer-reviewed literature, here I provide a quick but powerful data-based governance analysis of who actually drives snow leopard management, its research and publications, and how it links with democracy, the media, research, sustainability and ethics. Like with similar species held in high public esteem this GAP analysis allows to see clear profiles and to correct that image driven by consuming (western) urbanites of this world for a more effective use of funds, modern science and efforts towards a better, more democratic and careful science-based conservation management and global governance of that species, its habitat and the required atmosphere to sustain it all.