Impact & Conservation
Protecting 5 Million Hectares Across 5 Countries
Snow leopards are the dominant umbrella species here. Their abundance indicates that the entire ecosystem is working well. Their absence demonstrates a world out of balance. Snow leopards and humans have existed in a state of conflict since time immemorial. For many here, if you own livestock, a snow leopard is your enemy.
Your visits for snow leopard tracking allow remote communities to diversify their income, expanding beyond livestock herding. Slowly, we can convert an animal often viewed as a liability into an asset.
When you travel to see a snow leopard, you directly contribute to making snow leopards worth more alive than dead.
Our team combines deep experience operating highly-awarded snow leopard tours with pioneering conservation work. Community based conservation is a central tenet for us as 99% of the LUNGMĀR‘s team hail from snow leopard landscapes. For each guest that stays at camp, $350 is contributed towards predator proof corrals, reducing human-wildlife conflict, in the region.
Through partnerships with non-profit partners and conservation specialists across Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, China, and India, the LUNGMĀR operates conservation tourism focused trainings, invests in the development of community based tourism, and funds critical human-wildlife conflict interventions.
The LUNGMĀR also funds ranger trainings and carbon mitigation projects across ecosystems crucial for snow leopards in India, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan through the High Asia Habitat Fund (highasiafund.org).
Our field teams serve as advisors to both governments as well as leading international non-profits working in this space. We’re not just focused on our neighbors or our own valleys - the LUNGMĀR’s work positively impacts over 5 million hectares of snow leopard habitat internationally.
The Camp
As we operate in an ecologically sensitive landscape, we’ve taken great care to thoughtfully design our camp to have a minimal footprint while ensuring guest comfort. Every liter of water consumed at camp must first be pumped from a half-frozen stream, then stored in insulated tanks. The water must be kept from freezing through the use of heat tape. We’ve limited ourselves to only eight guest tents to restrict the natural resources we consume, and successfully balance the romance of adventure with the essential comforts required for a great experience.
The LUNGMĀR‘s hot water systems are solar. All fossil fuel use is tracked and then annually offset through our carbon negative program.
We also audit our natural resource consumption to see how we can give back more than we take.
We have upgraded the animal pens of all of our shepherding neighbors to predator proof corrals - keeping snow leopards, lynxes, and wolves away from their livestock - ensuring domestic animal depredation is greatly reduced.