- The exercise reported 718 snow leopards in India
- It was conducted from 2019 to 2023.
Aim of the Report
i.The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) Program is a first-ever scientific exercise that reported the population of snow leopards.
- The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is the National Coordinator for this exercise that was carried out with the help of all snow leopard range states and two conservation partners- the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru (Karnataka), and WWF (World Wildlife Fund)-India.
ii.The report mentions the need for establishing a dedicated Snow Leopard Cell at WII under MoEFCC with a primary focus on long-term population monitoring, supported by well-structured study designs and consistent field surveys.
- For the same, states and Union Territories (UTs) can consider adopting a periodic population estimation approach (every 4th year) in the Snow leopard range.
Key Points
i.The SPAI covered over 70% of the snow leopard range in India, approximately 120,000 km².
- Including UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir (J & K), and states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh
ii.The exercise was conducted using a two-step framework. Firstly, the Snow leopard spatial (geographical) distribution was evaluated through an occupancy-based sampling approach in the potential distribution range (habitat of snow leopards).
- Snow leopard signs were recorded by surveying 13,450 km of trails, and camera traps were deployed at 1,971 locations for 180,000 trap nights. A total of 241 unique Snow leopards were photographed.
- The Snow leopard occupancy was recorded in 93,392 km², with an estimated presence in 100,841 km².
iii.Secondly, snow leopard abundance was estimated using camera traps in each identified stratified region (regions with homogenous characteristics).
- Based on data analysis, the estimated population of 718 snow leopards in different states/UTs are as follows:
- Ladakh (477), Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21), and J & K (9).
iv.Before 2016, approximately one-third (around ca. 100,347 km2) of the range received minimal research attention, which was just 5% in areas like Ladakh, J & K, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
- Recent status surveys have significantly increased understanding, providing preliminary information for 80% of the range (about 79,745 km2), compared to 56% in 2016.
Note: Occupancy modelling is based on making multiple visits to some or all of the sample sites in a study to collect species detection data which are used to model, and then adjust for, the detection process.
About MoEFCC
Union Minister – Bhupender Yadav (Rajya Sabha constituency -Rajasthan )
Minister of State (MoS) – Ashwini Kumar Choubey (constituency – Buxar, Bihar )