Status Report of Snow Leopards in India

General Studies Paper -3

Context: India’s first nationwide report, ‘Status Report of Snow Leopards in India’, was released by the Government of India recently.

• The assessment estimates 718 snow leopards in India based on systematic surveys covering over 70% of their potential habitat from 2019-2023.
• For this, the Wildlife Institute of India coordinated the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) program across snow leopard range states.
• The SPAI used a two-step approach aligned with Ministry guidelines. The first step mapped snow leopard spatial distribution and habitat analysis. The second step estimated abundance through camera traps in identified areas.
• Until recently, snow leopard ranges in India were poorly defined and studied only across 5% of their habitat. The SPAI has significantly expanded habitat surveys to 80% versus just 56% in 2016.

Key Findings of the Report

• Only 34 percent of the 120,000 square kilometre (sq km) snow leopard habitat in India is legally protected. Almost 70 percent of it, crucial for the predator, remains unprotected.
• According to the report, the highest number of snow leopards are in Ladakh (477).
• It is followed by Uttarakhand (124 animals) and Himachal Pradesh (51). Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir recorded 21 and 9 individuals respectively.

Suggestions of the report

• The report emphasised the need for a dedicated Snow Leopard Cell at the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
• Its objective should be long-term population monitoring, organised studies and consistent field surveys.
• For the same, states and Union territories (UT) 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.
• It also underscored the need to make a revised assessment from the earlier estimate of 400-700 snow leopards in India, among the 4,000-7,500 estimated to be present across the globe.