The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh has approved the SHAN (Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature) Conservation Society as a dedicated body for protecting snow leopards and cold desert ecosystems. The society will conserve alpine fauna, flora, wetlands and fragile high-altitude habitats in Ladakh. Its work will include scientific monitoring, research, habitat protection and reducing human–wildlife conflict, along with promoting eco-development and sustainable livelihoods for local communities. The snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and Ladakh hosts India's largest population of the species.