India home to 718 snow leopards, Ladakh highest with 477: Report

India is home to around 718 snow leopards, according to the first-ever population estimation exercise conducted by the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) Programme.

The highest number of snow leopards were recorded in Ladakh (477), followed by Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9), reveals the report released by the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Tuesday.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) was the National Coordinator for the exercise that was carried out with the support of all snow leopard range states and two conservation partners, the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru, and WWF-India.

 

Until recent years, the snow leopard range in India was undefined due to a lack of extensive nationwide assessments for this vulnerable species. Before 2016, approximately one-third of the range (around ca. 100,347 square kilometres) received minimal research attention, reduced to just 5 per cent in pockets like Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.

The recent status surveys have significantly increased understanding, providing preliminary information for 80 per cent of the range (about 79,745 square kilometres), compared to 56 per cent in 2016. To gather robust information on snow leopard numbers, the SPAI exercise surveyed habitats using a substantial network of camera traps.

The SPAI systematically covered over 70 per cent of the potential snow leopard range in the country, involving forest & wildlife staff, researchers, volunteers, and contributions from knowledge partners. Covering approximately 120,000 square kilometres of crucial snow leopard habitat across the trans-Himalayan region, including Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir, and states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, the SPAI exercise was conducted from 2019 to 2023 using a meticulous two-step framework.

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 leopards in India by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in 2019. This systematic approach included assessing the spatial distribution through an occupancy-based sampling approach in the potential distribution range.

In the second step, snow leopard abundance was estimated using camera traps in each identified stratified region.

During the SPAI exercise, total efforts included 13,450 km of trails surveyed for recording snow leopard signs, while camera traps were deployed at 1,971 locations for 180,000 trap nights. The snow leopard occupancy was recorded in 93,392 square kilometres, with an estimated presence in 100,841 square kilometres. A total of 241 unique snow leopards were photographed.

The report also mentions the need for establishing a dedicated Snow Leopard Cell at WII under the MoEFCC is proposed, 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 the same, states and Union Territories can consider adopting a periodic population estimation approach (every fourth year) in the snow leopard range. These regular assessments will offer valuable insights for identifying challenges, addressing threats, and formulating effective conservation strategies.