Project Snow Leopard
Introduction: The Ghost of the Mountains
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), often called the “ghost of the mountains,” is an elusive apex predator found in the high-altitude ecosystems of 12 countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In India, it is distributed across the Himalayan and Trans-Himalayan regions, typically at elevations between 3,000 m and 5,400 m above mean sea level, covering an estimated 100,000 km²—approximately 5% of the species’ global range, yet home to around 10% of the global population.
- These majestic animals are mainly found in the Union Territory of Ladakh and the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian Trans-Himalayan cold desert ecosystems not only support snow leopards but also host unique wildlife such as the Pallas’s cat, Eurasian lynx, black-necked crane, Tibetan gazelle, Tibetan argali, and the kiang (Tibetan wild ass).
Conservation Status and Legal Protection
- The snow leopard is classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. In India, it is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 as well as the Jammu & Kashmir Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1978. Globally, the species is included in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), affording it the highest level of conservation protection.
Need for Landscape-Level Conservation
- Due to the large home range and low population density of snow leopards, traditional protected area-based conservation is insufficient. Recognising this, the Government of India launched Project Snow Leopard in 2008, the first-of-its-kind wildlife programme in the country to adopt a landscape-level, participatory approach. Since snow leopards and their prey inhabit areas outside protected areas, this model promotes community-based conservation and ecosystem-wide management
Major Threats to Snow Leopards in India
- Snow leopards face several threats in India. Prey depletion caused by excessive livestock grazing, retribution killings following livestock depredation, and poaching for illegal wildlife trade are significant dangers. Additional threats include unregulated tourism, climate change, infrastructure development (such as roads and hydropower projects), and poor waste management, which has led to an increase in feral dog populations that disturb snow leopard habitats and prey.
International Collaboration – GSLEP and PAWS
- India is an active member of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP), an international alliance launched in 2013 that brings together all 12 snow leopard range countries. The programme aims to ensure the survival of snow leopards and the preservation of mountain ecosystems across Central and South Asia.
- Under GSLEP, a global initiative called the Population Assessment of the World’s Snow Leopards (PAWS) was launched. As part of this, India initiated its own version called Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI). The goal of SPAI is to provide scientifically robust national and state-wise population estimates of snow leopards both inside and outside protected areas.
SPAI: India’s First National Protocol for Estimation
The SPAI protocol marks the first national-level effort to enumerate snow leopard populations in India. It follows a two-step process:
- Step 1 – Spatial Distribution Mapping: This involves occupancy-based surveys using field signs, interview data, and geospatial mapping to assess snow leopard presence and habitat use. This helps generate a refined snow leopard distribution map.
- Step 2 – Abundance Estimation: Based on the results from Step 1, camera traps and genetic sampling (e.g., from scat) are deployed in selected high- and low-quality habitats (over 500 sq. km) to estimate population densities.