https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68150917
'India is home to 718 snow leopards, according to the first-ever survey of the
animal in the country, the federal environment ministry has said.
This means that Indian snow leopards account for roughly 10-15% of the big
cat's global population.
The snow leopard is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature.
Its numbers in the wild face multiple threats - from habitat loss and poaching
to infrastructure development.
The survey - Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) Program - was
done from 2019 to 2023.
It was conducted as part of the Population Assessment of the World's Snow
Leopards (Paws), a global effort to determine the snow leopard's numbers.
The survey in India covered roughly 120,000 sq km (46,332 sq miles) of the
animal's habitat across the trans-Himalayan region.
"Until recent years, the snow leopard range in India was undefined due to a
lack of extensive nationwide assessments for this vulnerable species," the
environment ministry said in a statement.
The survey covered 70% of the potential snow leopard habitat in the country,
including the regions of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, the states of Himachal
Pradesh and Uttarakhand in northern India, and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in
the northeast.
After camera traps identified 214 individual snow leopards, surveyors analysed
leopard trails and other data to estimate the animal's population at 718.
The report says that understanding the precise population of the animal is
important because of its role as the apex predator in the Himalayan ecosystem.
The snow leopard population can indicate health of the ecosystem as well as
help identify potential threats to its habitat and shifts caused by climate
change, it adds.'
Via
Future Crunch:
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https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-gun-violence-america-cancer-europe-conservation-bolivia/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
