Snow leopard

The Kangchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal is a potential World Heritage Site because of its unique characteristics and strategic location. The exceptional altitudinal range (from 1,200 m to 8,586 m at Mt.Kangchenjunga, the world’s third-highest peak) within an area of only 2,035 km2 has created pristine habitats for flora and fauna. The local people practice a variety of livelihoods, including agriculture, pastoralism, forestry, and trade, resulting in a vibrant cultural tapestry. The human settlements within the area are some of the highest altitude settlements known in the world that adapt traditional systems for coping with a harsh environment. The area holds both challenges and opportunities from conservation and development perspectives. In order to translate challenges into opportunities, there is a need for a more integrated and coordinated approach with multiple-stakeholder participation. The recognition of the area as a World Heritage property can provide a platform to b...

Livestock predation by snow leopard was investigated by a questionnaire survey among different settlements of three village development committees which are situated inside the core area of Shey Phoksundo National Park, Nepal. Most local inhabitants were subsistence farmers, many dependent upon yaks, cow, sheep/goat and horse, with an average livestock holding of 32.62 animals per household. Each household lost 3.6 animals/household annually, with a total depredation rate of 11.08%. Loss to snow leopard averaged 1.6 animals per household, which is 45.57% of the total depredation. Highest depredation was observed during the winter season (39.82%) and during the day time (42.25%).

Snow leopard (Panthera unica) is a felid which lives in the highly rugged areas of alpine regions in different mountain ranges of South and Central Asia. This solitary animal needs large spaces for its ranges but due to climate change and relatively faster rate of global warming in South Asian mountain ranges, its habitat is going to shrink and fragment by tree-line shifts and change in hydrology of the area. Vegetative modification of montane flora and competition with domestic goats will create its prey’s population to decline along with a chance of a direct conflict and competition with the common leopard. Common leopard being more adaptable, grouped, and larger in size can be a significant stressor for a smaller and solitary snow leopard. Habitat would shrink, and snow leopard can possibly move upslope or northward to central Asian ranges and their predicted migratory patterns are unknown.