Canada Goose has partnered with Shan Shui Conservation Center to release Snow Leopard Patrol, a documentary following a team of local herders dedicated to wildlife conservation in Sanjiangyuan, one of China’s most biodiverse regions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The film marks the third documentary in the brand’s ongoing public welfare initiative, which focuses on nature experiences and community engagement in Sanjiangyuan National Park.
The word “Saji” (萨迹) means “traces of the snow leopard” in Tibetan. Following a team of local herders in the Yangtze River Source area, the documentary offers an intimate look at their daily conservation work, from field surveys and biodiversity assessments to infrared camera monitoring. Deeply familiar with the region’s landscapes and wildlife, the patrollers combine generations of local knowledge and experience with modern monitoring techniques. For them, protecting wildlife and its habitats is also about safeguarding the land they have long called home.
Guided by the Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration, the initiative was launched in 2023 and has now entered its fourth year. Jointly supported by Canada Goose and the Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration, and carried out in partnership with Shan Shui Conservation Center, the project has become a long-term commitment to biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development. Previously, Canada Goose collaborated with Xinhua News Agency’s mobile platform to produce Jiangyuan: Living in Harmony (《江源·共生》), documenting the conservation journey of local herder Badin Jiangcuo and his involvement in wildlife monitoring.
Over the past year, 17 local patrollers have participated in the installation and maintenance of 30 infrared cameras, recording 41 species and more than 3,400 independent wildlife image captures. These observations offer valuable insights into wildlife activity and biodiversity across the region. Beyond camera monitoring, community participation has also expanded to include ungulate surveys, while ongoing ranger training and knowledge-sharing sessions continue to strengthen local conservation capacity.
Working in small groups, often in challenging and remote areas, the patrollers undertake field expeditions and surveys across the region, including areas deep within the Yangtze River Source landscape. Their work reflects the importance of combining scientific monitoring with the knowledge and experience of people who have lived alongside these ecosystems for generations.
For Canada Goose, nature conservation extends beyond protecting wildlife and ecosystems; it also means recognizing and supporting the communities whose lives are closely connected to the natural environment. Through its continued partnership with Shan Shui Conservation Center, the brand aims to bring greater visibility to the contributions of local communities in safeguarding biodiversity, while putting its brand philosophy — “Inspiring the spirit of exploration and protecting the places we call home” — into practice.
