Vardhan invited to attend intl snow leopard & ecosystem forum

India may "strongly support" initiatives aimed at ensuring the economic development of snow leopard range nations, a group of 12 countries, in an upcoming global meet, Union minister Harsh Vardhan said today.
Vardhan said he has been invited to attend the International Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Forum (Summit 2017), which will be held in the Kyrgyz Republic's capital Bishkek in August.
Vardhan made the comments after meeting Samargiul Adamkulova, the ambassador of Kyrgyz Republic, here today.
"Thanks to Mr. Abdykaly Rustamov, Director of State Agency For Environment Protection and Forestry under the Government of Kyrgyz Republic, for inviting me to attend the International Snow Leopard and Its Ecosystem Conservation forum in August at Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.

"During the forum India may strongly support the initiatives esp for achieving needs of economic development of snow leopard range nations," he said in a series of tweets.
India has three zones under Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP): Hemis-Spiti, Nanda Dev-Gangotri and Kanchendzonga-Tawang.
Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are part of the snow leopard range nations.