Abstract: It describes status of snow leopard in republics of the former Soviet Union, main reasons for poaching and negative and positive experience on species conservation. The total number of snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the 1980's was at least 1200-1400. In Kazakhstan the snow leopard population totaled 180-200, in Uzbekistan around 100, and in Russia 150-200. The number and natural habitat of the species were in universal decline. Losses in Kyrgyzstan from poaching alone were no less than 30 animals per year in 1960-1980's. During this period the population in this area decreased by half, and the natural habitat by one third. With the break-up of the Soviet Union, poaching of the snow leopard and its pray grew by at least a factor of 3-4. It was estimated that 500-600 animals reduced the Kyrgyz snow leopard population in the 1990's. The population that remains today can barely be more than 150-200 individual snow leopards. The population has been physically decimated. Number of snow leopard in existence today in the former Soviet Union does not exceed 700-900 individual animals.

Abstract: From March to May, 2006œªwe conducted extensive snow leopard surveys in the Burhanbuda Mountain Kunlun Mountains, Qinghai Province, China. 32 linear transect of 5~15 km each, which running through each vegetation type, were surveyed within the study area. A total of 72 traces of snow leopard were found along 4 transects (12.5% of total transects). The traces included pug marks or footprints, scrapes and urine marks. We estimated the average density of wild ungulates in the region was 2.88ñ0.35 individuals km-2(n=29). We emplaced 16 auto2 trigger cameras in different environments and eight photos of snow leopard were shot by four cameras and the capture rate of snow leopard was 71.4%. The minimum snow leopard population size in the Burhanbuda Mountain was two, because two snow leopards were phototrapped by different cameras at almost same time. Simultaneously, the cameras also shot 63 photos of other wild animals, including five photos are unidentified wild animals, and 20 photos of livestock. We evaluated the human attitudes towards snow leopard by interviewing with 27 Tibetan householders of 30 householders live in the study area. We propose to establish a nature reserve for protecting and managing snow leopards in the region. Snow leopard (Uncia uncia) is considered as a unique species because it lives above the snow line, it is endemic to alpines in Central Asia, inhabiting in 12 countries across Central Asia (Fox, 1992). Snow leopard ranges in alpine areas in Qinghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Gansu and Sichuan in western China (Liao, 1985, 1986; Zhou, 1987; Ma et al., 2002; Jiang & Xu, 2006). The total population and habitat of snow leopards in China are estimated to be 2,000~2,500 individuals and 1,824,316 km2, only 5% of which is under the protection of nature reserves. The cat's current range is fragmented (Zou & Zheng, 2003). Due to strong human persecutions, populations of snow leopards decreased significantly since the end of the 20th century. Thus, the
snow leopards are under the protection of international and domestic laws. From March to May, 2006, we conducted two field surveys in Zhiyu Village, Dulan County in Burhanbuda Mountain, Kunlun Mountains, China to determine the population, distribution and survival status of snow leopards in the area. The aim of the study was to provide ecologic data for snow leopard conservation.