Abstract: A survey was undertaken of selected parts of Sagarmatha National Park to determine whether snow leopard was present, using techniques developed during a recent in-depth study of the species in west Nepal, using radio-telemetry. Although the species was considered to have been extirpated from the park in the 1970's, occasional reports have originated from trekkers who reported “seeing a snow leopard near Mount Everest (Sagarmatha)”.

Abstract: The Annapurna Conservation Area was established in 1986 to manage environmental degradation. Its designation as a “conservation area,” as opposed to a “park,” was based on the World Wildlife Fund’s Integrated Conservation and Development approach. The goal was to maintain positive relations with indigenous people while protecting and conserving the area’s rich natural resources. The indigenous population was allowed to live in the designated area, and was also encouraged to take a partnership role in its management and sustainable development, in conjunction with the Annapurna Conservation Area Project management team. Though the Annapurna Conservation Area Project has achieved notable success in terms of both community development and protected area management, the focus on tourism (the area is Nepal’s most popular trekking destination) as the means to achieve the project’s development goals has led to a neglect of other stated goals, particularly wildlife conservation. The program lacks explicit linkages between wildlife conservation (e.g., the endangered snow leopard (Unica unica)) and community development, for example. This paper describes and analyzes how the project has handled snow leopard conservation. Alternative approaches for snow leopard conservation include coercive enforcement by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, persuasive environmental education and outreach, agricultural extension assistance, from monetary compensation for livestock killed to monetary rewards for information on snow leopard poaching. I recommend several alternatives to improve snow leopard conservation. First, establish stronger and more formal links between the Annapurna Conservation Area Project and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. The department has the legal authority to enforce the endangered species policy that protects snow leopards, but no physical presence within the conservation area. Second, agricultural outreach could provide the subsistence pastoralists with direct economic gains while reducing snow leopard depredation of livestock. This alternative fits well with the development philosophy of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project. Third, increase entrance fees, setting aside a portion for snow leopard conservation. This allows tourists, who value the snow leopard positively, to share in the cost of its conservation. Taken together, these alternatives will improve snow leopard conservation while maintaining the spirit and philosophy of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project.

Abstract: Over 100 snow leopard experts, enthusiasts, and government officials gathered in the outskirts of Beijing, China from March 7–11, 2008 for the firstever International Conference on Range-wide Conservation Planning for Snow Leopards. Conference organizers included Panthera, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Snow Leopard Trust (SLT), Snow Leopard Network (SLN), and the Chinese Institute of Zoology.

Abstract: Project funded by Snow Leopard Conservation Grant Program. Center for Molecular Genetics, Nepal.

Abstract: The endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is widely but sparsely distributed throughout the mountainous regions of central Asia. Detailed information on the status and abundance of the snow leopard is limited because of the logistical challenges faced when working in the rugged terrain it occupies, along with its secretive nature. Camera-trapping and noninvasive genetic techniques have been used successfully to survey this felid. We compared noninvasive genetic and camera-trapping snow leopard surveys in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. We collected 180 putative snow leopard scats from 3 sites during an 8-day period along 37.74 km of transects. We then conducted a 65-day photographic survey at 1 of these sites, approximately 2 months after scat collection. In the site where both techniques were used noninvasive genetics detected 5 individuals in only 2 days of fieldwork compared to 7 individuals observed in the 65-day camera-trapping session. Estimates of population size from noninvasive genetics ranged between 16 and 19 snow leopards in the 314.3-km2 area surveyed, yielding densities of 4.9–5.9 individuals/100 km2. In comparison, the population estimate from the 65-day photographic survey was 4 individuals (adults only) within the 264-km2 area, for a density estimate of 1.5 snow leopards/100 km2. Higher density estimates from the noninvasive genetic survey were due partly to an inability to determine age and exclude subadults, reduced spatial distribution of sampling points as a consequence of collecting scats along linear transects, and deposition of scats by multiple snow leopards on common sites. Resulting differences could inflate abundance estimated from noninvasive genetic surveys and prevent direct comparison of densities derived from the 2 approaches unless appropriate adjustments are made to the study design.