14:28, 25 августа 2017, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Suyunbek SHAMSHIEV
«When one asks me why I come to Bishkek, I answer: «To clear my lungs,» Keshav Varma, chairman of the board of the global tiger initiative, said at the International Forum on the Conservation of the Snow Leopard and Its Ecosystems.
According to him, Bishkek is an interesting and lively city, where you can safely walk even at night.
«You must preserve your urban culture, originality, clean air. When I open the window and look towards Ala-Archa, I know that there lives a snow leopard, and he asks us what we are doing in order to preserve it,» Keshav Varma said.
As he noted, five years ago he couldn’t imagine that over time the initiative to preserve the snow leopard will turn into a powerful movement.
«To save the snow leopard and its habitat, we raised $ 22 million, but we need $ 115 million,» Keshav Varma said.
Also, as the head of the State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry Abdykalyk Rusatamov told 24.kg news agency, the agency, together with international organizations, has attracted $ 4.5 million to preserve the snow leopard population and its ecosystem in .