India home to 718 snow leopards; 241 caught on camera: Report

There are 718 snow leopards in India as per a report on the Status of Snow Leopards in India released by Union Minister of Environment and Forest Bhupender Yadav on TuesdayThe Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India SPAI Programme is the firstever scientific exercise that reports a snow leopard population of 718 in India an official addedThe Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change said that 241 unique snow leopards were photographed Based on data analysis the estimated population in different states is Ladakh 477 Uttarakhand 124 Himachal Pradesh 51 Arunachal Pradesh 36 Sikkim 21 and Jammu and Kashmir 9 the official saidThe Ministry said that the SPAI systematically covered over 70 per cent of the potential snow leopard range in the country involving forest and wildlife staff researchers volunteers and contributions from knowledge partnersCovering approximately 120000 km of snow leopard habitat across the transHimalayan region including the UTs of Ladakh and J and K and states such as Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh the SPAI exercise was conducted from 2019 to 2023 using a meticulous twostep frameworkThe Ministry said that 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 2019During the SPAI exercise the total efforts included 13450 km of trails surveyed for recording snow leopard signs while camera traps were deployed at 1971 locations for 180000 trap nights The snow leopard occupancy was recorded in 93392 km with an estimated presence in 100841 kmUntil recent years the snow leopard range in India was undefined due to a lack of extensive nationwide assessment for this vulnerable species Before 2016 approximately onethird of the range around ca 100347 km2 received minimal research attention reduced to just 5 per cent in pockets like Ladakh Jammu and Kashmir Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh the official addedThe Ministry said that recent status surveys have significantly increased understanding providing preliminary information for 80 per cent of the range about 79745 km 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 trapsThe report also mentions the need for establishing a dedicated Snow Leopard Cell at WII under the MoEFCC with the primary focus on longterm population monitoring supported by wellstructured study designs and consistent field surveys Constant monitoring is essential to ensure the snow leopards longterm survival the official addedFor this the 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 strategiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever