School for Science and Conservation

Snow leopard and prey distribution

A multi-scale approach provides understanding on how different factors are working to shape snow leopard and wild-prey occurrences and relative abundance at large and fine spatial scales.

Walking with a Gaddi herder along the Chenab River, Lahaul.
The core area of the Pin Valley National Park is a heavily grazed area
Sheep being herded to pasture from a camp-site in the interior of Pin Valley. Sheep and goat are often separately grazed on gentler and steep-cliff-dominated terrain, respectively.
Kibber village, its agricultural area, and the cold-desert landscape in Spiti Valley.
The apparently barren slopes along the Chandra River are one of the most heavily grazed areas. Upper Chandra River, Lahaul.
A camp-site of migratory herder in Pin Valley
Walking snow leopard sign transect, Spiti.
Surveying for ibex in one of the tributaries of Ensa nala, Pin Valley
A large group of livestock grazing near Chandra Tal, Chandra Valley, Lahaul
A herd of ibex, Spiti
Research team's camp-site at Haronaro, Ensa nala, Pin Valley

From large to fine spatial scale

For a wide-ranging species like snow leopard understanding its distribution at large-spatial scale is necessary to better inform conservation management at state or regional scale. At the same time examining how wild-prey of snow leopard and the habitat gets affected by different forms of natural resource use is needed to manage wild-prey populations and habitat at the level of a valley / catchment.

Migratory grazing & snow leopard habitat

Decline in wild-prey population due to rangeland degradation by livestock grazing is a serious problem to snow leopard conservation. While impacts of resident livestock grazing has been documented, impact of migratory livestock grazing remains poorly understood and has been socio-politically contentious, being more often dealt through activism than science-based ecological evidence.

One of the primary objectives of the current project is to identify factors affecting distribution of snow leopard and its primary prey, the bharal and ibex and understand how these factors affect prey distribution and abundance. A second objective is to evaluate the effect of migratory livestock grazing on vegetation and relative abundance of wild-prey. Assessing the underlying drivers of change and identifying what directions conservation-oriented migratory grazing practices might need to take comprises yet another project goal.

Objectives

  • Examining changes in and factors affecting distribution of snow leopard and its primary prey, bharal and ibex

  • Evaluate effect of migratory livestock grazing on vegetation and relative abundance of wild-prey of snow leopard

  • Assessing underlying drivers of changes and future directions in migratory grazing practices

Also Read: Impact of wild prey availability on livestock predation by snow leopards. 

Also Read: Assessing changes in distribution of the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia and its wild prey over 2 decades in the Indian Himalaya through interviewbased occupancy surveys

Also Read: From pastures for none to pastures for all

Also Read: Data from: Assessing changes in distribution of the endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia and its wild prey over 2 decades in the Indian Himalaya through interview-based occupancy surveys.