718 Snow Leopards Inhabit India, nearly 70% in Ladakh

India is home to 718 snow leopards, with Ladakh reporting the maximum number (477) of these magnificent cats but only a third of their habitat is legally protected, according to a report released by the Indian Government and non-profit organisations on January 30, 2024.

The report, titled “Status Report of Snow Leopards in India”, noted that only 34% of the 120,000 sq km snow leopard habitat in India is legally protected. This leaves almost 70% of the crucial habitat for this predator unprotected. Snow leopard habitat across the trans-Himalayan region, including areas such as Ladakh, J & K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, has been conducted.

The report highlighted the need for a dedicated Snow Leopard Cell at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun, under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The cell’s objective would be to monitor the snow leopard population long-term, conduct organised studies, and carry out consistent field surveys.

The report suggested that states and Union territories (UT) could adopt a periodic population estimation approach (every fourth year) in the snow leopard range. Regular assessments like these would provide valuable insights for identifying challenges, addressing threats, and formulating effective conservation strategies.

Study estimates snow leopard presence

The report also stressed the need to revise the earlier estimate of 400-700 snow leopards in India, as part of the global estimate of 4,000-7,500 snow leopards.

A project called The Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) spent four years (2019-2023) counting snow leopards. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) coordinated SPAI, working with two partners: the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru, and World Wildlife Fund for Nature-India.

Researchers set up camera traps at 1,971 spots in regions like Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

The cameras captured pictures of 241 different snow leopards. The report shows that Ladakh has the highest number of snow leopards (477), followed by Uttarakhand (124) and Himachal Pradesh (51). Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir had 21 and nine snow leopards, respectively.

The study found snow leopards in an area of 93,392 square kilometers, estimating their presence in 100,841 square kilometers. It mentioned that the first organized surveys of snow leopards started in the 1980s, mainly in Ladakh and later in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) highlighted that the exact snow leopard range in India was unclear before due to a lack of nationwide analysis. Before 2016, only 5% or one-third of the area in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh was covered. The recent data covers 80% of the area, a significant increase from 56% in 2016.

Study estimates snow leopard presence

The study involved surveying 13,450 km of trails and deploying camera traps at 1,971 locations for 180,000 trap nights (each night a single camera is active).

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the snow leopard as ‘vulnerable’. It faces numerous threats including overgrazing, human-wildlife conflict, poaching, free-ranging dogs, habitat degradation, and the impacts of climate change.

The snow leopard is found in 12 countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program estimates its global population to be between 3020 and 5390.

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