E-Paper
India home to 718 snow leopards; Ladakh highest with 477: SPAI report
Based on data analysis, Ladakh (477) has the highest population followed by Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9)
There are around 718 snow leopards in the country, the first ever population estimation exercise by the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) Program has revealed.
The report on the status of snow leopards in India was released by the Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav during the National Board for Wildlife meeting held in Delhi on Tuesday.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is the national coordinator for this exercise that was carried out with the support of all snow leopard range states, the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru and WWF-India.
The SPAI covered over 70% of the potential snow leopard range in the country, involving forest and wildlife staff, researchers, volunteers, and contributions from knowledge partners.
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Covering approximately 107,594 Km2 of crucial snow leopard habitat across the trans-Himalayan region, including UTs of Ladakh and J&K, states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, the exercise was conducted from 2019 to 2023.
The first step involved evaluating snow leopard spatial distribution, incorporating habitat covariates into the analysis, aligning with the guidelines of the national population assessment of snow.
In the second step, snow leopard abundance was estimated using camera traps in each region.
Around 13,450 km of trails were surveyed for recording snow leopard signs, while camera traps were deployed at 1,971 locations.
The snow leopard occupancy was recorded in 93,392 km2, with an estimated presence in 100,841 km2.
A total of 241 unique snow leopards were photographed.
Based on data analysis, Ladakh (477) has the highest population followed by Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9).
The report also stresses the need for establishing a dedicated Snow Leopard Cell at WII under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), with a primary focus on long-term population monitoring, supported by well-structured study designs and consistent field surveys.
Consistent monitoring is essential to ensuring Snow leopards’ long-term survival for which states and UTs can consider adopting a periodic population estimation approach (every 4th year) in the snow leopard range.
These regular assessments will offer valuable insights for identifying challenges, addressing threats, and formulating effective conservation strategies.
Snow leopards are perfectly adapted to the cold, barren landscape of their high-altitude homes, but human threats have created an uncertain future for the cats.
Despite a range of over 2 million km2, according to the Snow Leopard Trust, scientists estimate that there may only be between 3,920 and 6,390 snow leopards left in the wild.
