More than 70% of snow leopard habitat remains unexplored
Recently the World Wildlife Fund organization has released a report titled “A spatially explicit review of the state of knowledge in the snow leopard range”.
This report claimed that more than 70% of snow leopard habitats are unknown/unexplored.
Key findings of the report
- The report says that there are only four thousand snow leopards left in the world. Most research on snow leopard has been done by Nepal, India and China. They are faced with constant threats due to termination of housing, conflict with communities and poaching.
- Since snow leopards live in inaccessible areas, it is very difficult to research their habitat. This is the reason that till date, not a single blueprint has been made for their clear and proven residence.
First Snow Leopard Survey
- India launched the Snow Leopard Population Assessment on 24 October 2019 on the occasion of International Snow Leopard Day. However, this survey has not started yet. But many state governments in India like Uttarakhand etc. have started local surveys.
Conservation status
- Snow Leopard has been classified as “Vulnerable” category of IUCN, it has been kept in Schedule-I under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in India.
‘Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program’:
- The event was launched by 12 snow leopard-rich countries such as India, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Russia.
SECURE Himalaya:
- It is a project funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) which in a way facilitates global environmental protection.
Project Snow Leopard
- The Government of India has been running the Snow Leopard Project for the protection of snow leopards since Snow leopards are found in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir in India. These regions contribute 5% to the global snow leopard category.
Source – The Hindu
