The project – Saving Armenia’s Leopard – has been developed by international conservation charity World Land Trust (WLT) and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC), which is based in Yerevan. The project is subject to a public vote on the website of the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) from now until 31 March 2014.

Urgent action is required to save the Caucasian Leopard in the wild - and votes could make a real difference to the survival chances of Armenia’s leopards.

This endangered sub species of leopard has a total population of no more than 1,300. The Caucasian Leopard’s stronghold is in Iran, where it is known as the Persian Leopard, but in Armenia there may be as few as 15 leopards.

In 2013, images of a Caucasian Leopard were captured by a camera-trap in FPWC's Caucasus Wildlife Refuge. This means that FPWC's site protection efforts are working - but more financial support is needed. (Attached, a camera-trap image recorded on 8 November 2013.)

If enough people vote for Saving Armenia’s Leopard, the project will win a grant of €30,000 from National Geographic Germany (approximately £25,000). The grant will be used to support vital conservation measures, offering a chance to save the Caucasian Leopard from local extinction in Armenia.

People can register just one vote, so please encourage your friends, family and colleagues to vote as well. Multiple votes from the same IP address (ie most workplaces) may not be counted so please vote from a home computer if possible.

Cast your vote on the EOCA website. Scroll down through the list of projects to find Saving Armenia's Leopard - and then vote!

Once you've voted please encourage other people to do the same. The last day of voting is 31 March 2014.

A grant of £25,000 will make an enormous difference to Caucasian Leopard conservation. FPWC would use the grant to strengthen conservation actions, develop sustainable tourism initiatives with local communities and undertake research and monitoring to build a greater understanding of this little studied predator.

Have you cast your vote for the Caucasian Leopard?
A conservation project to save this endangered species will receive funding of €30,000 (£25,000) – if enough people vote for it. To find out more and to cast your vote »,click here.

For further information on World Land Trust and its conservation projects,

visit www.worldlandtrust.org

Notes to Editors

·         Copyright of the Caucasian Leopard camera-trap image remains with FPWC

·         Watch a short film about the remarkable story of Armenia's leopard on WLT website »

·         World Land Trust has been supporting conservation in Armenia since 2010 in partnership with FPWC. More about WLT’s work in the Caucasus, Armenia »

·         More about the Caucasian Leopard’s conservation status »

·         More about the European Outdoor Conservation Association »

ENDS

World Land Trust (WLT)

World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity, which protects the world’s most biologically important and threatened habitats acre by acre. Since its foundation in 1989, WLT has funded partner organisations around the world to create reserves, and give permanent protection to habitats and wildlife. The mission of the World Land Trust is: To protect and sustainably manage natural ecosystems of the world; To conserve their biodiversity, with emphasis on threatened habitats and endangered species; To develop partnerships with local individuals, communities and organisations to engage support and commitment among the people who live in project areas; To raise awareness, in the UK and elsewhere, of the need for conservation, to improve understanding and generate support through education, information and fundraising.

Media Enquiries
Sarah Salord / Jessica Meins / 020 8747 2170 / worldlandtrust@mccluskey.co.uk