The report on the status of snow leopards in India titled Status of Snow Leopard in India 2023 was released by the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on January 30, 2024. The first-ever scientific study to document the number of snow leopards in India, the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) Program, identified 718 individuals. The national coordinator for this project is the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), along with the cooperation of conservation partners, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), India and the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru, as well as all the states that fall under the snow leopard range.
About Snow Leopard
Panthera uncia, commonly known as snow leopards, is a medium-sized cat, standing approximately 24 inches at the shoulder and weighing between 30 and 55 kilograms, and 100 to 130 cm in length from head to tail. Snow leopards are renowned for their distinctive, smoky-grey fur patterned with dark-grey to black rosettes and spots, which provide excellent camouflage against the rocky terrain of their habitat.
Snow leopards are predominantly solitary creatures, except during the mating season when males and females may be seen together between January and March. They are most active during dawn and dusk, utilising their camouflage and stealth to hunt effectively.
Snow leopards inhabit the rugged and mountainous regions of Central and Southern Asia. In India, their range includes extensive areas across the western Himalayas, covering the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, as well as the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of the eastern Himalayas, including Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The last two states are part of the Eastern Himalayas, a priority global conservation region identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Snow leopards are adapted to steep, rocky terrains with rugged outcrops and deep ravines, typically found at elevations between 3,000 and 5,000 metres. This high-altitude habitat provides essential cover and a wide vantage point, crucial for stalking and ambushing prey.
Status
The snow leopard is classified as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This classification reflects the species’ precarious status due to habitat loss, poaching, and prey depletion. Additionally, snow leopards are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits the international trade of their body parts, including fur, bones, and meat.
In India, snow leopards are afforded the highest level of protection under national law, being listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This legal status underscores the country’s commitment to safeguarding this elusive species.
Snow Leopard: Population Trends
In the 1980s, the global population of snow leopards was estimated to be between 4,000 and 7,500, with India housing 400 to 700 individuals. By the 1990s, estimates had adjusted to 200–600 snow leopards in India, part of a global population of 3,020–5,390. More recent estimates in 2016 suggested a national population of around 516, with a range of 238 to 1,039 individuals.
The latest count of snow leopards in India stands at 718, with a confidence interval of 594 to 825. This figure aligns with previous trends, indicating a generally stable population. However, understanding the full extent of the species’ distribution, land use, and mortality trends remains an ongoing challenge.
Threats and Challenges for Snow Leopards
Infrastructure development The expansion of highways and hydropower projects in the higher Himalayas has led to an influx of labour camps. These camps often place additional pressure on scarce natural resources, which can disrupt the snow leopard’s habitat.
Tourism Increased tourism in snow leopard regions contributes to garbage mismanagement. This mismanagement fuels a rise in free-ranging dog populations, which compete with snow leopards for prey.
Climate change In the long term, climate change poses a major threat to snow leopards. Its impact on the ecosystem and habitat could profoundly affect the species’ survival.
To ensure the immediate future of snow leopards, it is crucial to address the effects of rapid demographic changes, such as infrastructure development and tourism. Effective management strategies and conservation efforts are needed to mitigate these impacts and protect the snow leopards’ habitat and prey base.
Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) Program
In 2019, as part of India’s active involvement in the National Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (NSLEP) and Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) started the SPAI program which was part of the global Population Assessment of the World’s Snow Leopards (PAWS) initiative. India has made three major landscape contributions to the NSLEP and GSLEP: Hemis-Spiti, Nanda Devi-Gangotri, and Khangchendzonga-Tawang. These initiatives are an attempt to conserve the snow leopard and its habitats in conjunction with 12 NSLEPs. The SPAI program is expected to produce statistically sound estimates of the snow leopard population at the national, state, and local levels of snow leopards found both inside and outside of the protected areas. Its main objective has been to collect reliable data to guide effective conservation efforts and policy decisions.
PAWS Initiative
The PAWS initiative, endorsed at the 2017 International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Conservation Forum in Bishkek, was a major global effort to assess snow leopard populations comprehensively over the subsequent five years. Spearheaded by the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Secretariat, PAWS aimed to deliver a scientifically robust estimate of the species’ population by integrating both new research and existing data. The initiative emphasised the establishment of standardised data collection protocols and best practices to ensure reliability and consistency. An expert panel oversaw the process, incorporating feedback from diverse conservation partners, including government bodies, organisations, and academic institutions, to carry out data collection and analysis across various habitats and regions.
The Chief Wildlife Wardens (CWLWs) of the states and UTs were consulted throughout the SPAI sampling effort. The survey was successfully executed and encompassed 70 per cent of the potential snow leopard habitats (approx. 1,20,000 square kilometres) throughout the UTs of Ladakh and J&K, as well as the four states that are home to snow leopards: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. The SPAI exercise was conducted using a two-step structure, between 2019 and 2023.
In the first step, the spatial distribution of snow leopards was carefully assessed, taking habitat variables into account. This method, based on occupancy modelling, made use of precise geographic mapping, extensive fieldwork, and data from interview and sign surveys. The distribution map of snow leopards was improved as a result of this evaluation, and a baseline dataset for stratifying snow leopard population sampling was created. The next step employed camera traps to estimate the abundance of snow leopards. Comprehensive analyses of the principal prey species’ abundance were further carried out at particular sites.
The first step required a thorough evaluation. This diverse methodology helped to provide a thorough overview of the populations of snow leopards in these important areas. Some states, like Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, completed the STEP-1 and STEP-2 exercises simultaneously due to the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Significance
Understanding the snow leopard population is crucial as these animals are apex predators in the Himalayan ecosystem. Their numbers can serve as an indicator of ecosystem health and help identify potential threats and climate change impacts.
The survey highlighted that 70 per cent of the land used by snow leopards is unprotected, underscoring the need for ongoing monitoring and conservation efforts. This habitat is vital not only for snow leopards but also for the socio-cultural and economic well-being of local communities and wildlife.
The SPAI program represents a significant step in defining the snow leopard’s range in India, which was previously unclear due to a lack of comprehensive assessments. The findings will inform future conservation strategies and help ensure the long-term survival of this vulnerable species.
Challenges Faced during the Assessment
The harsh environment that snow leopards live in had been the first and main challenge on the list. Although their strongholds are the cold deserts of Ladakh and Spiti, snow leopards could be found across the upper Himalayas, above the tree line, at elevations between 10,500 and 17,000 feet. A large portion of this habitat is inaccessible by motorable roads and the rarefied air makes even simple fieldwork—like finding good locations to set up camera traps—an endurance test.
Next is analysing field-captured pictures taken with a camera. Through the use of specialised software, the snow leopards could be uniquely identified from a pool of photos by comparing the stripes or rosettes on both flanks. However, snow leopards, in contrast to tigers, zebras, or even leopards, resist artificial intelligence.
Because of the difficulty in recognising individual snow leopards’ spot patterns when their thick fur ruffles or when their bodies are seen from various angles, researchers have struggled for long with this problem. A global consensus of researchers suggested manual evaluation with multiple independent analysts for identification and at least three marking patterns to distinguish between individuals in order to solve this difficulty. The main points of reference for identifying a snow leopard are its head and tail. A few researchers have attempted to use strategically placed cameras to photograph the area on the snow leopard’s forehead, as demonstrated in Ladakh during the current SPAI exercise.
Some Key Findings of the Report
Until recent times, the distribution of snow leopards has remained unclear, owing to the absence of a comprehensive nationwide evaluation for this endangered feline species. Prior to 2016, only 5 per cent of the snow leopard range—which is located primarily in limited areas of Ladakh, J&K, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh—had got any research attention. This represents a significant third of the territory, which is approximately 1,00,347 square kilometres. Nonetheless, recent status surveys have improved our knowledge of the availability of preliminary data regarding snow leopards or prey in 80 per cent of the snow leopard habitat (around 79,745 square kilometres), up from 56 per cent in 2016. As part of the SPAI exercise, a large network of camera traps was used to scan the habitats of snow leopards in order to gather reliable data on their populations.
During the SPAI, extensive data collection was conducted to accurately estimate the population of snow leopards. Surveyors covered 13,450 kilometres of trails to record signs of snow leopards. Camera traps were deployed at 1,971 locations, accumulating a total of 1,80,000 trap nights. The survey found snow leopards occupying 93,392 square kilometres of habitat, with an estimated presence in 1,00,841 square kilometres. Additionally, a total of 241 unique snow leopards were photographed, providing crucial data for understanding their distribution and abundance.
From 956 camera trap locations in the UT of Ladakh, a total of 126 unique snow leopard individuals were identified, resulting in an estimated density of 0.34 individuals/100 square kilometres and a population of 477 individuals. On the other hand, the J&K UT’s 135 camera trap placements allowed for the discovery of 9 unique individuals throughout the snow leopard region. A density of 0.75 individuals per 100 square kilometres was estimated. The exercise suggested that there are, on average, 51 snow leopards in Himachal Pradesh. There were 40 unique individuals identified in the state of Uttarakhand, with a density ranging from 0.7 to 1.04 individuals per 100 square kilometres. In Uttarakhand, the estimated number of snow leopards was 124. With 99 camera trap sites, the eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim recorded 14 unique individuals, resulting in an estimated density of 0.40 snow leopards per 100 square kilometres. For this state, an estimated 21 snow leopards were present. Conversely, 115 camera trap locations in Arunachal Pradesh yielded the identification of 8 unique snow leopards. The population estimate for the state was 36, with a density of 0.26 people per 100 square km.
Way forward
Going forward, it is clear that India has made great progress in protecting snow leopards. There is a strong foundation in place, with over 35,000 square kilometres set aside for landscape-level conservation and over 34 per cent of the ecosystem covered by legal protection. But after understanding the limitations of capacity restrictions and exclusive protected areas, India has shifted its focus to landscape-based participatory conservation efforts. This change is vital since roughly 70 per cent of the territory that snow leopards occupy is still unprotected and serves a critical habitat for wildlife.
This change has been made possible by initiatives like GSLEP and Project Snow Leopard (PSL), which together cover over half of India’s snow leopard range. Over the past 10 years, there has been a notable shift from an exclusive concentration on protected areas to collaborative landscape management.
Like SPAI program to provide accurate population estimates and guide conservation efforts states and UTs may choose to implement a method similar to the All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) for periodic population estimation in the snow leopard region, which would take place in every four years. These regular evaluations would provide insightful information for identifying changes, addressing threats, and creating effective conservation strategies.
Additionally, it is suggested to create a dedicated snow leopard cell at the Wildlife Institute of India under the MoEFCC, with an emphasis on long-term population monitoring that is backed by methodical field surveys and well-designed study.
These border forces become crucial stakeholders since a large percentage of the habitat of snow leopards is bordered by neighbouring nations, including China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and India, and is patrolled by Indian security personnel. In order to raise awareness and promote long-term collaboration for the conservation of vital snow leopard habitats, it is imperative to involve them through targeted programmes and give appropriate training and sensitisation to conservation needs. Programmes such as GSLEP, PSL, and PAWS could play a crucial role in this regard.
The SPAI report underscores the need for ongoing and robust monitoring to ensure the long-term survival of snow Leopards and to address challenges facing their conservation.
Conclusion
To sum up, the SPAI exercise has resulted in the most comprehensive analysis of snow leopard populations in India to date, utilising cutting-edge techniques including occupancy modelling and camera trapping. The results highlight the ecological significance of the high-altitude habitats that snow leopards live in and make a substantial contribution in the understanding of snow leopard ecology. The state/UT-level evaluations, which cover the region from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, provide insightful information that is essential for focused conservation efforts.
In order to ensure the protection of snow leopards in the Indian Himalaya, the SPAI has offered a solid framework for continuous monitoring, conservation strategies, and cooperative actions coordinated through the planned snow leopard cell.
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