Snow leopard Range States of India Bevel 1 REPUBLIC OF INDIA India Snow leopard Range States of India Jammu & Kashmir Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand Sikkim Arunachal Pradesh Geographic area (in km2) 32,87,240 2,22,236 55,673 53,483 7,096 83,743 Potential Snow leopard range (%) 39 61 51 33 36 8 Human population (in 1000000), 2011 1210.193 12.584 6.856 10.117 0.607 1.382 Average annual growth rate (%) 1.64 2.15 1.21 1.77 1.17 2.33 Population density ( #/km2) 382 124 123 189 86 17 Major sectors of economy Agriculture industries Agriculture Horticulture livestock rearing, minor forest produce Livestock population (in thousand), 2007 5,29,698 9,899 5,116 4,943 337 1,257

SNOW LEOPARD DISTRIBUTION IN INDIA Bevel 2 SNOW LEOPARD DISTRIBUTION IN INDIA

SNOW LEOPARD ABUNDANCE IN INDIA Bevel 3 SNOW LEOPARD ABUNDANCE IN INDIA Total Estimated population : 400-700 Density Estimates based on camera trapping: Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir: 4.45 to 8.49 / 100km2. Study Area – c. 100 km2 (Jackson et al. 2004) Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh: 0.50 to 3.40 / 100 km2 Study Area – c. 1,500 km2 (Sharma/Suryavanshi et al. 2010) Khangchendzonga Landscape, Sikkim: 4.25 /100km2 Study Area – c. 200 km2 (Sathyakumar et al. 2013)

Bevel 4 IMAGES OFSNOW LEOPARDS IN THE INDIAN HIMALAYAN REGION

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Bevel 6 SNOW LEOPARD PROTECTED LANDSCAPES IN INDIA KHANGCHENDZONGA NANDA DEVI SPITI LADAKH

Bevel 7 STATUS OF SNOW LEOPARD PREY In India, Snow leopard preys primarily on ibex and blue sheep, but in some areas, argali, Ladakh urial, musk deer, Himalayan tahr, marmot, hare, pika, other rodents, and birds are also important. In some areas, livestock form significant part of snow leopard diet The wild prey populations are high in some well protected areas and there is a range of abundance from high to low depending upon the habitat quality and human use. Some examples are 0.14/km2 for poor habitat blocks in Upper Spiti to 3.19/km2 in the better blocks for ibex and blue sheep in 2,000 /km2 in Spiti and 5.25 /km2 and 10/km2 for blue sheep in Khangchendzonga NP and Nanda Devi NP respectively. Threats differ in the vast range in the country, but wild prey of snow leopard are threatened due to poaching for meat competition with livestock and developmental pressures.

Bevel 8 THREATS TO SNOW LEOPARDS, THEIR PREY AND HABITATS IN INDIA Threats to snow leopard varies considerably across the vast range in India. Most populations appear to be relatively secure, while local extinction in some places is imminent In India, snow leopard is threatened due to decline in their prey populations (mountain ungulates) owing to poaching for meat, competition with livestock, declining habitat quality Other modern anthropogenic pressures like infrastructure developments for natural resource use may lead to habitat degradation and habitat loss. Snow leopards are also threatened due to poaching for skin and bones for the illegal wildlife trade and as retaliatory killings to reduce livestock depredation by snow leopards Snow leopards, their prey and habitats are also influenced due to climate change impacts which is not yet well understood. It is also felt that lack of awareness among local, provincial and national stakeholders can result in less efficient conservation efforts for snow leopard Lack of specialized capacity among the conservation agencies can also be a limitation to efficient conservation at times

Bevel 9 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING SNOW LEOPARD CONSERVATION IN INDIA In India, the Forest/Wildlife Departments of the five Snow leopard range States have the mandate of protecting snow leopards, their prey and habitats. Technical inputs, research and monitoring are provided by the Wildlife Institute of India. The programme is supported by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Nature Conservation Foundation, WWF-India, Wildlife Trust of India, TRAFFIC-India and Snow Leopard Conservancy-India Trust are actively involved in the programme. International Organizations such as International Snow Leopard Trust, WWF-International, World Bank, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, TRAFFIC – International, Snow Leopard Conservancy, among others, support snow leopard conservation.