Ladakh Homestays- transforming local mindsets towards snow leopards From The Geotourism Challenge: Celebrating Places - Changing Lives Saved May 28, 2008 - 03:44 PM EST

Rinchen Wangchuk is the Program Director and Founder of SLC- India Trust. Based in Leh, Ladakh, Rinchen works closely with livestock herding communities to predator-proof nighttime corrals. He trains local people, especially women and young men, in ways of enhancing their income generation skills in activities closely linked with the conservation of snow leopards, and assists local non-government organizations build capacity for protecting India’s rich mountain biodiversity. Rinchen is responsible for rural tourism initiatives under an acclaimed UNESCO-sponsored project that enabled SLC-India Trust and its partners to launch the Ladakh Himalayan Homestay program. A mountaineer turned naturalist, Rinchen also assisted researchers to develop the Earth watch program, “Land of the Snow Leopard.” He has served as a naturalist and assistant on several documentaries filmed in Hemis National Park, including the widely acclaimed “Silent Roar: Searching for the Snow Leopard.”