Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) and Snow Leopard

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News: India has recorded an estimated 718 snow leopards across the Indian Himalayas, including 477 in Ladakh, according to the country’s first Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI).

About Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI)

Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI)
Source – ToI
  • The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) is the first-ever scientific exercise, which took around 4 years to complete.
  • Coordinated by: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is the National Coordinator for this exercise.
  • Findings: As per the assessment, India has an estimated 718 snow leopards in the wild.
    • Ladakh (477) has the highest number of snow leopard, followed by Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and Jammu and Kashmir (9).
    • India has around 10-15% of global population of snow leopard.

About Snow Leopard

Snow leopard
Source – BBC Wildlife
AspectDetails
About
  • It is a species of large cat in the genus Panthera of the family Felidae.
  • It is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.
  • It is a top predator in mountain ecosystem.
Characteristics
  • It shows several adaptations for living in a cold, mountainous environments.
  • Its small, rounded ears help to minimize heat loss.
  • Its broad paws distribute the body weight for walking on snow, and have fur on their undersides to enhance the grip on steep and unstable surfaces.
  • Its long and flexible tail helps to balance the cat in the rocky terrain.
Habitat
  • They are distributed across the mountainous landscape of Central Asia that covers different parts of the Himalayas such as Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
Conservation efforts
  • The Government of India has identified the snow leopard as a flagship species for the high-altitude Himalayas.
  • India is also party to the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme since 2013.
  • HimalSanrakshak: It is a community volunteer programme, to protect snow leopards, launched in October 2020.
  • Project Snow Leopard (PSL): It was launched in 2009 to promote an inclusive and participatory approach to conserve snow leopards and their habitat.
  • Snow Leopard is included in the list of 21 critically endangered species for the recovery programme of the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change.
Threats
  • Loss of natural prey species
  • Conflict with humans
  • Illegal trade of its fur and bones
Conservation Status
  • IUCN List of Threatened Species: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
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