Bevel 1 REPUBLIC OF INDIA Snow leopard Range

Bevel 1 REPUBLIC OF INDIA Snow leopard Range States of India Jammu Himachal Uttarakhand & Pradesh Kashmir Sikkim Arunachal Pradesh Geographic area 32, 87, 240 2, 236 55, 673 53, 483 7, 096 83, 743 (in km 2) Potential Snow 39 61 51 33 36 8 leopard range (%) Human population 1210. 193 12. 584 6. 856 10. 117 0. 607 1. 382 (in 1000000), 2011 Average annual 1. 64 2. 15 1. 21 1. 77 1. 17 2. 33 growth rate (%) Population density 382 124 123 189 86 17 ( #/km 2) Major sectors Agriculture Horticulture livestock rearing, minor forest of economy industries produce Livestock population 5, 29, 698 9, 899 5, 116 4, 943 337 1, 257 (in thousand), 2007

Bevel 2 SNOW LEOPARD DISTRIBUTION IN INDIA

Bevel 3 SNOW LEOPARD ABUNDANCE IN INDIA Total Estimated population : 400 -700 Density Estimates based on camera trapping: Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir: 4. 45 to 8. 49 / 100 km 2. Study Area – c. 100 km 2 (Jackson et al. 2004) Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh: 0. 50 to 3. 40 / 100 km 2 Study Area – c. 1, 500 km 2 (Sharma/Suryavanshi et al. 2010) Khangchendzonga Landscape, Sikkim: 4. 25 /100 km 2 Study Area – c. 200 km 2 (Sathyakumar et al. 2013)

Bevel 4 IMAGES OFSNOW LEOPARDS IN THE INDIAN HIMALAYAN REGION

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Bevel 6 SNOW LEOPARD PROTECTED LANDSCAPES IN INDIA KHANGCHENDZONGA SPITI NANDA DEVI LADAKH

Bevel 7 STATUS OF SNOW LEOPARD PREY In India, Snow leopard preys primarily on ibex and blue sheep, but in some areas, argali, Ladakh urial, musk deer, Himalayan tahr, marmot, hare, pika, other rodents, and birds are also important. In some areas, livestock form significant part of snow leopard diet The wild prey populations are high in some well protected areas and there is a range of abundance from high to low depending upon the habitat quality and human use. Some examples are 0. 14/km 2 for poor habitat blocks in Upper Spiti to 3. 19/km 2 in the better blocks for ibex and blue sheep in 2, 000 /km 2 in Spiti and 5. 25 /km 2 and 10/km 2 for blue sheep in Khangchendzonga NP and Nanda Devi NP respectively. Threats differ in the vast range in the country, but wild prey of snow leopard are threatened due to poaching for meat competition with livestock and developmental pressures.

Bevel 8 THREATS TO SNOW LEOPARDS, THEIR PREY AND HABITATS IN INDIA v Threats to snow leopard varies considerably across the vast range in India. Most populations appear to be relatively secure, while local extinction in some places is imminent v In India, snow leopard is threatened due to decline in their prey populations (mountain ungulates) owing to poaching for meat, competition with livestock, declining habitat quality v Other modern anthropogenic pressures like infrastructure developments for natural resource use may lead to habitat degradation and habitat loss. v Snow leopards are also threatened due to poaching for skin and bones for the illegal wildlife trade and as retaliatory killings to reduce livestock depredation by snow leopards v Snow leopards, their prey and habitats are also influenced due to climate change impacts which is not yet well understood. v It is also felt that lack of awareness among local, provincial and national stakeholders can result in less efficient conservation efforts for snow leopard v Lack of specialized capacity among the conservation agencies can also be a limitation to efficient conservation at times

Bevel 9 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVATION IN INDIA v In India, the Forest/Wildlife Departments of the five Snow leopard range States have the mandate of protecting snow leopards, their prey and habitats. Technical inputs, research and monitoring are provided by the Wildlife Institute of India. v The programme is supported by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Nature Conservation Foundation, WWF-India, Wildlife Trust of India, TRAFFIC-India and Snow Leopard Conservancy-India Trust are actively involved in the programme. v International Organizations such as International Snow Leopard Trust, WWF-International, World Bank, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, TRAFFIC – International, Snow Leopard Conservancy, among others, support snow leopard conservation.