New Article to the Bibliography

Please find details below of a new article added to our Bibliography:

Title: Landscape connectivity and population density of snow leopards across a multi-use landscape in Western Himalaya

Author: Pal, R., Sutherland, C., Qureshi, Q., Sathyakumar, S.

Abstract: Human modification and habitat fragmentation significantly impact large carnivores requiring large, connected habitats to persist in a landscape. Understanding species responses to such change and the protection of critical areas and connectivity they provide is essential when planning effective conservation strategies. Our study examines the spatial distribution of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) across a gradient of protection status, anthropogenic pressures and habitat types in the Gangotri landscape (~4600 km2), Western Himalaya. Using spatial capture-recapture modeling, we analyzed a 4-year camera trapping dataset (2015–2019) to assess the relationship between snow leopard movement and topography and identified the conducible areas for facilitating movement across the landscape. Snow leopard density was positively associated with elevation and slope, and was higher in protected areas (summer: 1.42 SE 0.02/100km2; winter 2.15 SE 0.03 vs. summer: 0.4 SE 0.01; win
ter: 0.6 SE 0.01 for unprotected areas). Precipitous terrain and several prominent mountain peaks were found to be resistant to snow leopard movement. Even with a range of human activities inside protected areas, the higher density suggests a positive impact of protection. Density-weighted connectivity showed that conducible areas are available between the Gangotri landscape and the adjacent protected areas. However, compared to protected area, these areas are relatively less used and require attention for management. We recommend regulating human activities and co-managing pastures with local communities to revive prey base outside protected areas, especially in corridors, to ensure such areas are functionally conducive. Our study provides a framework to collectively quantitate the spatial pattern of abundance, distribution and connectivity. Our approach has broad applicability for policymakers to develop strategic plans for balancing the conservation of species, and other land uses in a multi-use landscape.

URL:

https://snowleopardnetwork.org/b/show.php?record=1663

WWF Russia press release: Snow leopard love story

Press Release Shared by WWF Russia

Snow leopards named Khorgai and Guta are most likely the world’s oldest known couple of snow leopards living in the wild. Both are at least 13 years old, this is the almost maximum recorded age of the snow leopard in nature. In zoos, with enough food and in comfortable conditions, snow leopards can live up to 21 years. They met at least 10 years ago and have at least two litters of cubs together.

“WWF-Russia is confident in the age of Khorgai and Guta, we, together with our partners, have been camera trapping them since 2011-2012. Such old snow leopards are very rare in the wild. Snow leopards at the age of 13 have been recorded in the wild, for example, in Mongolia, but this is the first time a mating couple of snow leopards of this old age has been recorded. Both snow leopards live on the Chikhachev Ridge in the Altai Republic at the border with Mongolia. Being that old proves the living conditions of these snow leopards, it is an indicator of the well-being of this couple, which underlines the importance of Chikhachev Ridge, as a snow leopard habitat. This mountain bridge on the border with Mongolia allows snow leopards migrate from one country to another”, says Alexander Karnaukhov, Senior Coordinator of Altai-Sayan Branch of WWF Russia.

Guta, female snow leopard

Guta inhabits the Chikhachev Ridge. Camera traps have been monitoring Guta since 2012 when she was captured with cubs, which means that the female was at least 3 years old. She shares the individual sites with Khorgai, male snow leopard, so it is clear for the scientists that they are a mating couples and have litters together. Guta’s tail tip is not black like in most snow leopards, but white. It is also curved like a question mark. Her tail leaves characteristic strokes in the snow, by which Guta is easy to recognize.

Khorgai, male snow leopard

Khorgai is the dominant male. He is also the likely father of the cubs born by the female named Bogusha. The first photographs of Khorgai were taken in 2011. He spends most of the year on the Altai part of the Chikhachev ridge. Without informing the border guards, without a visa, in winter, during heavy snowfalls, Khorgai migrates to Mongolia. It was Khorgai who was the first snow leopard in Altai to be filmed by camera traps in October 2011 on the Chikhachev Ridge; the snow leopard was already at least two years old. Recorded by Khorgai, a senior researcher at the Altai State Biosphere Reserve, Sergei Spitsyn, a legendary Russian researcher of snow leopards. Long-liver Khorgai has become a universal favorite of scientists and spectators. A corn-eared snow leopard, which is easily recognizable by a scar on the cheek and spots on the tail. Khorgai’s tail has a specific pattern of spots: three spots, then two spots and one spot, like symbols in Morse code. Scientists use these patterns to distinguish snow leopards from each other.

Recently each image of Khorgai and Guta is the joy for scientists. It means the snow leopards are alive and safe. The latest images of Khorgai obtained in 2021. Most likely, Khorgai has more offsprings, at least ten, including cubs in Mongolia.

Story shared by WWF- Russia

Oct 22, 2021

New Article to the Bibliography

Please find details below of a new article added to our Bibliography:

Title: First spatially‐explicit density estimate for a snow leopard population in the Altai Mountains

Author: Oberosler, V., Tenan, S., Groff, C., Krofel, M., Augugliaro, C., Munkhtsog, B., Rovero, F.

Abstract: The snow leopard Panthera uncia is an elusive and globally-threatened apex predator occurring in the mountain ranges of central Asia. As with other large carnivores, gaps in data on its distribution and abundance still persist. Moreover, available density estimates are often based on inadequate sampling designs or analytical approaches. Here, we used camera trapping across a vast mountainous area (area of the sampling frame 850 km2; analysed habitat extent 2600 km2) and spatially-explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models to provide, to our knowledge, the first robust snow leopard population density estimate for the Altai Mountains. This region is considered one of the most important conservation areas for snow leopards, representing a vast portion of suitable habitat and a key ecological corridor. We also provide estimates of the scale parameter (σ) that reflects ranging behaviour (activity range) and baseline encounter probability, and investigated potential drivers of
density and related parameters by assessing their associations with anthropogenic and environmental factors. Sampling yielded 9729 images of snow leopards corresponding to 224 independent detections that belonged to a minimum of 23 identified adult individuals. SECR analysis resulted in an overall density of 1.31 individuals/100 km2 (1.15%–1.50 95% CI), which was positively correlated with terrain slope. This estimate falls within the mid-values of the range of density estimates for the species globally. We estimated significantly different activity range size for females and males (79 and 329 km2, respectively). Base- line encounter probability was negatively associated with anthropogenic activity. Our study contributes to on-going efforts to produce robust global estimates of population abundance for this top carnivore.

URL: https://snowleopardnetwork.org/b/show.php?record=1662

SLN Webinar: 50 years Eurasian lynx in Switzerland – Experience with the reintroduction of a large carnivore

The Eurasian lynx co-exists with the snow leopard in parts of its range. Conservation of the two species are interconnected and collaborative efforts have the potential to strengthen each other. A large body of knowledge about the lynx has been gathered in Europe over the last half century. SLN’s coming webinar will introduce us to the lessons drawn from Eurasian lynx conservation efforts in Switzerland.

SLN is pleased to invite Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten and Urs Breitenmoser to lead this webinar on Monday, 6th December, 2021 at 10 am CET. Sandro Lovari, SLN’s Steering Committee Chair will facilitate the discussion around this exchange of learnings. We look forward to this session which goes broader than the snow leopard, as requested by many members.

About the Webinar

The Eurasian lynx is one of the most widespread cats of the world, but in its western range, in Europe, it was almost eradicated in the 19th century. Today, the autochthonous populations in northern and eastern Europe have recovered, and in west and central Europe, several populations were reintroduced.

The first successful reintroduction was in the Swiss Alps in 1971. The reintroduction was possible because in the first half of the 20th century, the forests – habitat of the lynx – and wild ungulates such as roe deer or chamois have recovered, reconstituting the ecological framework for the return of the lynx. However, people had lost their ancient knowledge of cohabitation with large carnivores, and the return of an efficient predator and competitor was a big challenge for the human community.

Nowadays, the lynx is broadly accepted. However, the reintroduction was an extreme population bottleneck, and 50 years after the first releases, the genetic situation of the population is a major concern. The fall and raise of the megafauna – both herbivores and carnivores – were tightly connected to long-term societal and economic development and the transition from a more agricultural society to an urban industrial and service society. Such experience – both negative and positive – can help to better foresee and mitigate human-carnivore conflicts in the fast changing world of Asia.

About our Guests

Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten and Urs Breitenmoser both have a PhD in zoology from the University of Bern. They are ecologists who have mainly worked on the challenges of large carnivores making a comeback in Switzerland, especially the Eurasian lynx, which was reintroduced in the Swiss Alps and in the Jura Mountains in the early 1970s. Christine and Urs have directed the Swiss Foundation KORA – carnivore ecology and wildlife management. Since 2001, they are the co-chairs of the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group.

Date/Time

Monday, 6th December, 2021 at 10 am CET

Register today

Register Here

Please note

If you have never used Zoom before, we recommend that you try the link 10 minutes before the start of the lecture.
Please feel free to write questions in the comment area and there will be time for questions/discussion at the end of the talk.
Please note that the session will be recorded and later featured on the SLN website. If you have concerns about this please let us know before the session.

Call for submissions #EncounterUncia (Abstract submission extended)

Twitter Conference: Unusual Encounters with Snow Leopards

December 6-8th, 2021

Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Program (GSLEP) and Snow Leopard Network (SLN) in collaboration with Panthera, WWF and the Snow Leopard Trust will be hosting a Twitter conference on Unusual Snow Leopard Encounters.

Encounters with snow leopards can take many forms. They can range from rare sightings of one or more snow leopards, coming across injured snow leopards or coming across cubs that may appear abandoned. It can also involve snow leopards killing livestocks in pastures and corrals. Although snow leopards are mostly elusive, these encounters do occur across the snow leopard range and at times can be very stressful for both the people and snow leopards involved. Responses can result in the loss of life or freedom for the snow leopard. Appropriate responses that minimize harm to both people and the snow leopard, and promote long-term coexistence still need to be more widely known, shared and put into practice.

The aim of the #EncounterUncia Twitter Conference is to collate and share experiences on snow leopard unusual encounters. We also aim to discuss recommendations for handling such encounters, and strategies to mitigate negative interactions between snow leopard and people.

Unusual encounters with wildlife occur across other habitats and continents. There is a rich body of experiences and knowledge from other species (such as common leopards, elephants, jaguars, crocodiles etc.) which we can learn from and apply to the snow leopard landscape. The Twitter Conference is open to participation from research and conservation practitioners working on both snow leopards and other species and ecosystems to facilitate cross-exchange of knowledge and practices.

Please note that the conference is centered around conservation coexistence strategies for snow leopards and is not limited to accounts of physical encounters with the big cat! We are looking forward to your abstract submissions and stories.

Call for Submissions

The deadline for abstract submissions is extended until November 22nd!

Participants can submit Applications here

The #EncounterUncia Twitter Conference can only happen with your participation and contributions! We encourage individuals and teams from across the world to share experiences and insights on Unusual Encounters of snow leopards and other species. We have 3 categories:

Publications outlining encounters: This section includes any published material related to information on unusual encounters (in english or other languages). It can include policy documents on recommendations for handling unusual encounters and mitigation strategies, and peer-reviewed publications on effectiveness of mitigation strategies, and success/failures of handling of unusual encounters (such as relocation). Please provide the publication reference and an abstract of the key message/recommendation.
Mitigation strategies: This section includes strategies aimed at preventing unusual encounters (eg. predator proof corrals, specific herding practices, traditional practices, deterrents, grazing free zones) or minimizing/reducing risk when the encounters occur (eg. releasing individuals immediately, leaving cubs alone, not tampering with livestock carcasses). These include on-ground interventions and need not be published. This section is open to both snow leopards and other wildlife species.
Anecdotes on experiences: This section focuses on snow leopards and includes unpublished material and anecdotal experiences on unusual encounters since 2011. It can include but not limited to incidences of livestock depredation, abandoned cubs, encountering species in unusual habitats. This section does not focus on mitigation strategies but aims to collate stories to develop an understanding of the frequency, types and location of unusual snow leopard encounters.

Key Dates

Abstract Submissions October 15- November 22nd : APPLY HERE
Conference Dates December 6th, 7th, 8th, 2021
At 15:30 Bishkek time Wednesday 8th December, join us for the #EncounterUncia closing ceremony (90 minutes). It will include a live panel discussion (with speakers from the conference partners Panthera, WWF & the Snow Leopard Trust). We will also recognise “outstanding #EncounterUncia Tweet Presentations” during the awards ceremony.

FAQ

What is a Twitter Conference?

A Twitter Conference is a free online event (through twitter!) that brings snow leopard researchers and practitioners together from across the world from the comfort of their office/home/fieldstation. The aim is to encourage communication and collaboration amongst #conservation stakeholders around usual encounter and conflict situations.

What is the hashtag?

The conference hashtag is #EncounterUncia . Please use this hashtag for any Twitter communication related to the 2021 conference.

How do you participate on the day itself?

You or your organization will need a twitter account. You can sign up at https://www.twitter.com if you do not already have an account. After you have setup your account you can search for the hashtag #EncounterUncia (Snow Leopard Encounter Twitter Conference 2021) to see all tweets that relate to the conference. You can then comment, reply, retweet or tweet using the #EncounterUncia. You can also just spectate and follow the interactions by using the hashtag.

You can register for the conference here: https://www.cognitoforms.com/IllegalWildlifeTrade1/TwitterConferenceOnUnusualEncountersWithSnowLeopards

How do I participate as a presenter?

The call for presenters will be open from Oct 15 to Nov 15 2021. We encourage individuals or organizations to submit abstracts to 3 themes: Relevant publications, Encounter Anecdotes or Mitigation Strategies. Please see the link here. Once you have submitted your abstract you will be contacted by the Conference Committee. A subset of submission will be invited to present their work using your individual or organization twitter handle on December 6-8th 2021. Presentations will include 3-5 tweets related to the submission. The Conference Committee will communicate more information closer to the Conference date.

Why participate?

Be part of the movement to bring awareness about unusual encounters and encourage stakeholders to handle encounters in a way that minimizes harm to snow leopards and people
Learn about the work being done across the snow leopard range to conserve this elusive species
10 submissions will be selected and awarded “Outstanding” contributions. Your team has the opportunity to submit and be selected.

New Article to the Bibliography

Please find details below of a new article added to our Bibliography:

Title: Evidence of spatial genetic structure in a snow leopard population from Gansu, China

Author: Azteni, L., Cushman, S. A., Wang, J., Riordan, P., Shi, K., Bauman, D.

Abstract: Understanding the spatial structure of genetic diversity provides insights into a populations’ genetic status and enables assessment of its capacity to counteract the effects of genetic drift. Such knowledge is particularly scarce for the snow leopard, a conservation flagship species of Central Asia mountains. Focusing on a snow leopard population in the Qilian mountains of Gansu Province, China, we characterised the spatial genetic patterns by incorporating spatially explicit indices of diversity and multivariate analyses, based on different inertia levels of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We compared two datasets differing in the number of loci and individuals. We found that genetic patterns were significantly spatially structured and were characterised by a broad geographical division coupled with a fine-scale cline of differentiation. Genetic admixture was detected in two adjoining core areas characterised by higher effective population size and allelic divers
ity, compared to peripheral localities. The power to detect significant spatial relationships depended primarily on the number of loci, and secondarily on the number of PCA axes. Spatial patterns and indices of diversity highlighted the cryptic structure of snow leopard genetic diversity, likely driven by its ability to disperse over large distances. In combination, the species’ low allelic richness and large dispersal ability result in weak genetic differentiation related to major geographical features and isolation by distance. This study illustrates how cryptic genetic patterns can be investigated and analysed at a fine spatial scale, providing insights into the spatially variable isolation effects of both geographic distance and landscape resistance.

URL: https://snowleopardnetwork.org/b/show.php?record=1661

Module 15: Grant and report writing

The SLN training initiative is offering a final 2021 module entitle “Grant and Report Writing”. This December module was specifically requested by SLN members and we are delighted to welcome The Pallas’s cat International Conservation Alliance (PICA) to lead the session.

Please note that this module will be a one off intensive session taking place in December- so if interested do not miss it!

Appy here

About the course

Securing funding for conservation and research projects is never an easy process. It is highly competitive, bound by strict deadlines and often needs to follow specific requirements set by the funders. It can also be made more difficult when the focal species is lesser known, has a low threat status or when there is little reference data for the species as is often the case with Pallas’s cat (Manul). Even when projects are able to overcome the challenging application process and are successful in securing funding the work does not stop as the applicants must provide detailed reports, manage the project budget and deliver the projects objectives in line with specific timelines. When all of the above are carried out to a high standard it can lead to effective delivery of the project whilst evidencing a scientific and professional approach back to the funder, which could lead to continuation of funding and support.

The Pallas’s cat International Conservation Alliance (PICA) has experience of securing funding, report writing, managing budgets and long term delivery of grants for Pallas’s cat conservation and research. In addition to this PICA has also developed a small grant programme that provides funding and support to targeted conservation projects across the species range. Individually the PICA projects partners (Norden’s Ark, Snow Leopard Trust and RZSS) also possess a wide range of skills and experiences in the field of grant writing and reporting from decades of conservation project management across the globe.

This workshop has been developed as a tool to support conservation practitioners, researchers or students that are looking to develop their skills in grant writing and reporting. The workshop will provide tips, techniques, experiences and an open platform for targeted discussions

Meet the Resource Team

David Barclay

is the Ex-situ Conservation Manager for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. He specializes in felid population management, animal management and conservation.

Emma Nygren

is Head of Conservation Programs at Nordens Ark Sweden and is managing conservation programs both nationally and internationally. She is also the project manager for the Pallas’s Cat International Conservation Alliance (PICA).

Dr. Gustaf samelius

is Assistant Director of Science for the Snow Leopard Trust and is working with applied ecology and conservation of mountain ecosystems.

Dr Helen Senn

is the Head of Conservation and Science Programmes for Royal Zoological Society of Scotland where she is responsible for managing conservations work on 23 species in Scotland and around the world.

Katarzyna Ruta

is a Conservation Project Officer at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, where she supports the delivery of a variety of field-based conservation programmes

Criteria for participation

- - Confirmed availability to attend the online seminar
  - Number of participants is limited to 25
  - Priority will be given to participants from snow leopard range countries

Planned Schedule

- 2 hour online Zoom Seminar on Wednesday, 15th December at 15:00 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan time.

Applications

- Friday, December 10th, 2021. Please note places are limited so please do not delay in applying.
- Applications Closed

SLN Webinar: Snow leopards in the land of mountain deities

We invite you to our next SLN webinar which continues our series on different Science & Conservation perspectives around snow leopards. This webinar will take us to the Tibetan Plateau in China where we will hear from Awang, the founder of the Plateau Nature Conservancy. We will learn about how he and his team are bridging science and traditional knowledge for snow leopard conservation. LingYun, SLN’s Committee Member, will also join us as facilitator, adding insights from her work on the plateau.

As usual our format will be a talk of 20-30 minutes followed by an interactive discussion. Awang has some remarkable images and stories to share. Please register through the link below and help us spread the word and share the news with your colleagues and those who would be interested in attending.

About the Webinar

Awang will share how the Plateau Nature Conservancy (PNC) is supporting Tibetan herders from the sacred mountain range Amney Machin at the Source of the Yellow River to carry out snow leopard camera trap surveys. He will discuss how his team is working with local herders to combine traditional ways of biodiversity conservation with the concepts of contemporary conservation and regional conservation policy. All of their work is conducted around mountains that are considered sacred in Tibetan Buddhism and around the sacred lakes at the source of the Yellow River. These sacred features of the area provide an opportunity to strengthen and protect these snow leopard landscapes. Awang’s talk will share how such traditional forms of protecting mountain areas are still playing an important role in conservation of alpine ecosystem and wildlife within it.

Snow leopard camera trap photo by PNC. Can you see the snow leopard?

About our Guests

Awang is founder and director of Plateau Nature Conservancy (PNC) in China. He is a wildlife conservationist and researcher who has worked in the Tibetan Plateau for 10 years. In 2007, he joined Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and worked on several conservation initiatives including rangeland management, community-based conservation and public environmental education. In 2013, he completed his MSc at DICE, University of Kent, and majored in Biodiversity Conservation and Tourism. He is currently a member of ICCA (Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas) China and China Federation of Youth Committee.

Date/Time

Tuesday, November 16th, 2021 at 16:00-17:00 Beijing time

Location

Zoom: Register through the following link.

Please note

- If you have never used Zoom before, we recommend that you try the link 10 minutes before the start of the lecture.
- Please feel free to write questions in the comment area and there will be time for questions/discussion at the end of the talk.
- Please note that the session will be recorded and later featured on the SLN website. If you have concerns about this please let us know before the session.