Abstract: Livestock depredation by the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) _is an increasingly contentious issue in Himalayan villages, especially in or near protected areas. Mass attacks in which as many as 100 sheep and goats are killed in a single incident inevitably result in retaliation by local villagers. This article describes a community-based conservation initiative to address this problem in Hemis National Park, India. Human-wildlife conflict is alleviated by predator-proofing villagers' nighttime livestock pens and by enhancing household incomes in environmentally sensitive and culturally compatible ways. The authors have found that the highly participatory strategy described here (Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action-APPA) leads to a sense of project ownership by local stakeholders, communal empowerment, self-reliance, and willingness to co-exist with
snow leopards. The most significant conservation outcome of this process is the protection from retaliatory poaching of up to five snow leopards for every village's livestock pens that are made predator-proof._

Abstract: Zoolites of the Felidae family are known from the Upper Eocene Lower Pliocene in Eurasia, Africa, and North America. Two sub-families are know to inhabit the territory of the USSR and adjacent territories: the extinct sabre-toothed Felidae species Machairodontia and now existing Felidae species. In the USSR the extinct Felidae species were found to exist in Upper Miocene, Upper and Middle Pliocene, and Pleistocene. In Eurasia panthers has been know since early Pliocene. Three species were found in Uzbekistan – the extinct cave lion Felidae sd†l…†… (Goldfuss, 1810), and now existing P…nth†a… tigris, P…nth†a… pardus. The ancient finds and modern habitats are briefly described. Genus Uncia is represented by one species snow leopard or irbis. Probably it appeared in later Pliocene or Pleistocene in the mountain of Central Asia. In Uzbekistan, remains of snow leopard were found in the Samarqand region in the layer of Upper Pleistocene or Holocene. Probably it moved into the area in Pleistocene or the period of glacier removal in the Western Tien Shan mountains, Turkestan, Zeravshan, and Hissar ridges.

Abstract: WWF Russia and WWF Mongolia share the main achievements of both offices in Altai – Sayan Ecoregion regarding species conservation, protected areas, ecotourism, public awareness, education, eco clubs, fresh water. Several articles reference snow leopards:
WWF Mongolia
Argali population observation in transboundary area
WWF Russia
Ecotourism camps in the habitats of a snow leopard and argali WWF and UNDP
WWF Russia
WWF assessed the level of conflict between herders and a snow leopard in Republic of Tyva
WWF Russia
The first ecological festival in the history of Mountain Altai for snow leopard conservation!

Abstract: Wildlife-related crop and livestock damage is emerging as a leading source of conflict between local communities, protected areas and park managers throughout India and the Himalayan region (Kharel 1997, Mishra 1997, Saberwal et al. 1994 and Sekhar 1998). For example, a comprehensive household-level survey of herders living in Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area suggested that predation accounted for 63% of all livestock mortality over a 18-24 month period, mostly attributable to snow leopard (Jackson et al. 1996). Oli et al. (1994) reported the predation rate at 2.6% of the stockholding, with losses representing as much as 25% of the average household’s per capita income. Hardly surprisingly, most local people held strongly negative attitudes toward snow leopard and wolf. In the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary in Lahaul-Spiti, Mishra (1997) reported that 18% of the livestock holding were killed over a 18 month period, amounting to 1.6 animals per household perannum, with an estimated total value of US $ 128 per family per year. Villages received compensationin only 28 of 131 reported cases. According to local residents, predation rates in the sanctuary had increased markedly since its establishment. Mishra (1997) attributes this to a dramatic increase in livestock numbers accompanying a shift rom subsistence to a more commercially-based animal husbandry pattern.
The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of livestock damage from wild carnivores and how protected area managers could best approach this contentious issue. The author uses Hemis National Park as a case study example, focusing on baseline information gathering, and past, current and proposed remedial actions for reducing losses and compensating livestock owners.

Abstract: Wild ungulates play vital roles in maintaining a balanced ecosystem through herbivory and are also an important determinant of carnivores’ density. The flare-horned markhor (Capra falconeri) is a threatened wild goat distributed across the mountain ranges of Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The remote terrain and fragmented population limit our understanding of the population ecology of markhor, though knowledge of the target species population is vital for making informed management decisions. Therefore, the current study was designed to determine the markhor population across their range in Northern Pakistan and to evaluate the efforts made by the government and non-government organizations for the conservation of markhor. Double-observer surveys were conducted during 2019–2021 in nine major watersheds of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan covering an area of 4664 km2. Secondary data were collected for unassessed areas to gain a holistic overview of the markhor population and density in the region. Results revealed a markhor population of 7579, with a density of 0.30 animals per km2 in Northern Pakistan. Our analysis of the double-observer data through the Bayesian behavioral capture–recapture model estimated a population of 5993 individuals (95% CI) of markhor across
nine study sites, with a density of 1.28 animals per km . A review of secondary data revealed that
a population of about 1586 was present in the un-surveyed area (20,033.33 km2), with a density
of 0.08 per km . A total of 146 groups of markhor were counted, with a mean group size of 23
(3–58) individuals. There were 109 males and 108 young per 100 females in the population. Among 1936 recorded males, Class I males accounted for 27.74%, followed by Class II (26.45%), Class IV (trophy-size) (23.40%), and Class III (22.42%). The overall detection probability was recorded as 0.87 and 0.68 for the first observer and second observer, respectively. Compared with the past reports, the population of markhor in Northern Pakistan appears to be increasing, particularly in protected areas (PAs) such as national parks and community-controlled hunting areas (CCHAs). Conservation programs, notably trophy hunting and PA networks, appear to be vital in sustaining markhor populations in parts of the species range. We recommend expansion in such programs in the markhor range in order to maintain a viable population of this majestic wild goat in the region.