Context:
Recently, the Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change released the first ‘Snow Leopard Population Assessment Report’ of India.
Key highlights of the report:
- The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India Program is the first-ever scientific exercise that reports a population of 718 in India.
- The Indian snow leopard population estimate is around one-sixth to one-ninth of the global population.
- The four-year-long estimation exercise revealed approximately 718 snow leopards in the wild in India.
- Ladakh has the highest estimated number (477), followed by Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9).
- The Indian snow leopard population constitutes 10-15% of the global population (the largest population is found in China).
About Snow Leopards:
Habitat:
- They inhabit mountainous regions of central and southern Asia.
- In India, they are found in the Western Himalayas (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh) and Eastern Himalayas (Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh).
- Hemis National Park (Ladakh) is the largest national park in India and a significant snow leopard habitat.
Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Listed as Vulnerable.
- CITES and CMS: Appendix-I.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I
Conservation Efforts by India:
- Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme: India has been participating since 2013.
- Himal Sanrakshak: Launched in October 2020 to engage local communities in snow leopard protection.
- First National Protocol (2019): Launched for Snow Leopard Population Assessment, aiding in population monitoring.
- SECURE Himalaya: GEF-UNDP funded project focusing on conserving high-altitude biodiversity and reducing dependency on natural ecosystems.
- Project Snow Leopard (PSL): Launched in 2009, it emphasizes an inclusive and participatory approach to conserving snow leopards and their habitat.
- Recovery program: The snow leopard is part of the recovery program for 21 critically endangered species under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
- Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling, West Bengal, houses a snow leopard conservation breeding program
