Kathmandu –
India is home to 718 snow leopards. That number is according to the first survey ever carried out on this animal in the country.
Collect BBC, Monday (5/2/2024), Indian snow leopards account for around 10-15% of the global population. The environment ministry revealed that the animal is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Their numbers in the wild face various threats, from habitat loss and poaching to infrastructure development.
The Snow Leopard Survey of India (SPAI) was conducted from 2019 to 2023. The survey was conducted as part of a global effort to determine snow leopard numbers.
The survey in India covered an area of about 120,000 square km, the animal’s habitat being in the trans-Himalayan region.
“Until recent years, the snow leopard’s range in India was not well known due to the lack of extensive national-scale assessments of this vulnerable species,” the environment ministry said in a statement.
The Putra Perkasa Abadi (PPA) Himalayan Expedition Team again raises the Red and White flag at the top of Mera Peak, Himalayan Mountains, Nepal (Photo: doc. PPA)
The survey covers 70% of the snow leopard’s potential habitat in the country, including the Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir regions, the northern Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and northeastern Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
After camera traps identified 214 individual snow leopards, surveyors analyzed leopard tracks and other data to estimate the animal’s population at 718.
The report said that understanding the population size of this animal is very important because of its role as an apex predator in the Himalayan ecosystem.
Snow leopard populations can indicate ecosystem health as well as help identify potential threats to habitat and shifts caused by climate change, he added.
“The sustainability of this highland habitat is interrelated with the socio-cultural fabric of local communities and the economic sustainability of populations living downstream.”
The report says that 70% of the land used by these animals is unprotected and provides critical habitat for wildlife.
“This animal requires consistent monitoring to ensure its long-term survival,” he added.
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(msl/wsw)
2024-02-06 16:05:02
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