Abstract: The Disappearance of traditional ungulate prey of the snow leopard may be contributing to its endangered status in the wild. Soviet biologists have noted that wild sheep are a primary prey of the snow leopard in the southern Russian union republic and the Central Asian union republic of the U.S.S.R. While poaching appears to have had some impact on the status of these sheep, econmic pressures may be contributing to their decrease. Evidence presented for KAzakhstan and three regions of the Russian republic demonstrates that commercial sheep and goat production appears to be growing at a very high pace in these areas, thus consumming habitat otherwise available for wild herds.

Abstract: As drivers of terrestrial ecosystems, humans have replaced large carnivores in most areas, and
human influence not only exerts striking ecological pressures on biodiversity at local scales but also has
indirect effects in distant corners of the world. We suggest that the multibillion dollar cashmere industry
creates economic motivations that link western fashion preferences for cashmere to land use in Central
Asia. This penchant for stylish clothing, in turn, encourages herders to increase livestock production which
affects persistence of over 6 endangered large mammals in these remote, arid ecosystems. We hypothesized
that global trade in cashmere has strong negative effects on native large mammals of deserts and grassland
where cashmere-producing goats are raised. We used time series data, ecological snapshots of the biomass
of native and domestic ungulates, and ecologically and behaviorally based fieldwork to test our hypothesis.
In Mongolia increases in domestic goat production were associated with a 3-fold increase in local profits for
herders coexisting with endangered saiga (Saiga tatarica). That increasing domestic grazing pressure carries
fitness consequences was inferred on the basis of an approximately 4-fold difference in juvenile recruitment among blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) in trans-Himalayan India. Across 7 study areas in Mongolia, India, and China’s Tibetan Plateau, native ungulate biomass is now <5% that of domestic species. Such trends suggest ecosystem degradation and decreased capacity for the persistence of native species, including at least 8 Asian endemic species: saiga, chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni), Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), snow leopard (Panthera uncia), khulan (Equus hemionus), kiang (E. kiang), takhi (E. przewalski), and wild yak (Bos mutus). Our results suggest striking yet indirect and unintended actions that link trophic-level effects to markets induced by the trade for cashmere.

Abstract: The habitat for both humans and snow leopards in Central Asia is marginal, the ecosystem fragile. The struggle for humans to survive has often, unfortunately, brought them into conflict with the region's dwindling snow leopard populations. Herders commonly see leopards as a threat to their way of life and well-being. Efforts to improve the living conditions of humans must consider potential impacts on the environment. Likewise, conservation initiatives cannot ignore humans as elements of the landscape with a right to live with dignity and pride. Based on these principles, the International Snow Leopard Trust has developed a new conservation model that addresses the needs of all concerned.
We call it Snow Leopard Enterprises..