The Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI)

The Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI)

Subject: Environment

Context:

The first-ever recording of the snow leopard from the Baltal-Zojila region has renewed hopes for the elusive predator in the higher altitudes of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Camera trapping exercises by researchers from Nature Conservation Foundation by researchers from Nature Conservation Foundation(India), partnering with J&K’s Department of Wildlife Protection, also raised hopes for other important and rare species such as the Asiatic ibex, brown bear and Kashmir musk deer in the upper reaches of the northern most part of India.

The Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI) has been concluded so far in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The estimated population of the great cat is 50 and100, respectively, in these two States,

Concept:

• The Snow Leopard (also known as Ghost of the mountains) acts as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live, due to their position as the top predator in the food web.
• The Snow Leopard lives at high altitudes in the steep mountains of Central and Southern Asia, and in an extremely cold climate.
• They inhabit the higher Himalayan and trans-Himalayan landscape in the states/union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• India is a unique country to have a good presence of 5 big cats, including Snow Leopard. The other 4 are, Lion, Tiger, Common Leopard, and Clouded Leopard.
• Snow Leopard capital of the world: Hemis, Ladakh.
• Hemis National Park is the biggest national park of India and also has a good presence of Snow Leopard.
• Threat: Factors that have contributed to the decline in the snow leopard populations include, reduction in prey populations, illegal poaching and increased human population infiltration into the species habitat and illegal trade of wildlife parts and products among others.

Protection:

• IUCN Red List- Vulnerable
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)- Appendix I
• Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)- Appendix I
• Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction.
• Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972- Schedule I
• Schedule I provides absolute protection and offences under this have the highest penalties.

Conservation Efforts Launched by India:

• Himal Sanrakshak: It is a community volunteer programme, to protect snow leopards, launched on 23rd October 2020.
• In 2019, First National Protocol was also launched on Snow Leopard Population Assessment which has been very useful for monitoring populations.
• SECURE Himalaya: Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded the project on conservation of high altitude biodiversity and reducing the dependency of local communities on the natural ecosystem.
• This project is now operational in four snow leopard range states, namely, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
• Project Snow Leopard (PSL) : It was launched in 2009 to promote an inclusive and participatory approach to conserve snow leopards and their habitat.
• Snow Leopard is in the list of 21 critically endangered species for the recovery programme of the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change.
• Snow Leopard conservation breeding programme is undertaken at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling, West Bengal