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Author Alexander, J. S., Shi, K., Tallents, L. A., Riordan, P.
Title On the high trail: examining determinants of site use by the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia in Qilianshan, China Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Oryx Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Fauna & Flora International Pages (up) 1-8
Keywords Camera Trap, China, Detection Probability, Occupancy Modelling, Panthera Uncia, Site use, Snow Leopard
Abstract Abstract There is a need for simple and robust techniques for assessment and monitoring of populations of the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia to inform the de- velopment of action plans for snow leopard conservation. We explored the use of occupancy modelling to evaluate the influence of environmental and anthropogenic features on snow leopard site-use patterns. We conducted a camera trap survey across &#63284;&#63288;&#63280; km&#63282; in Gansu Province, China, and used data from &#63286;&#63280; camera traps to estimate probabilities of site use and detection using the single season occupancy model. We assessed the influence of three covariates on site use by snow leopards: elevation, the presence of blue sheep Pseudois nayaur and the presence of human disturb- ance (distance to roads). We recorded &#63287;&#63286; captures of snow leopards over &#63282;,&#63289;&#63280;&#63286; trap-days, representing a mean capture success of &#63282;.&#63286;&#63282; captures per &#63281;&#63280;&#63280; trap-days. Elevation had the strongest influence on site use, with the probability of site use increasing with altitude, whereas the influence of presence of prey and distance to roads was relatively weak. Our findings indicate the need for practical and robust tech- niques to appraise determinants of site use by snow leo- pards, especially in the context of the limited resources available for such work.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1433
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Author Alexander, J. S., Cusack, J. J., Pengju, C, Kun, S., Riordan, P.
Title Conservation of snow leopards: spill-over benefits for other carnivores? Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Oryx Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Fauna & Flora International Pages (up) 1-5
Keywords China, conservation, Eurasian lynx, grey wolf, red fox, snow leopard
Abstract In high-altitude settings of Central Asia the

Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia has been recognized

as a potential umbrella species. As a first step in assessing

the potential benefits of snow leopard conservation for

other carnivores, we sought a better understanding of the

presence of other carnivores in areas occupied by snow leopards

in China’s Qilianshan National Nature Reserve. We

used camera-trap and sign surveys to examine whether

other carnivores were using the same travel routes as snow

leopards at two spatial scales. We also considered temporal

interactions between species. Our results confirm that other

carnivores, including the red fox Vulpes vulpes, grey wolf

Canis lupus, Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx and dhole Cuon alpinus,

occur along snow leopard travel routes, albeit with low detection

rates. Even at the smaller scale of our camera trap survey

all five carnivores (snow leopard, lynx, wolf, red fox and

dhole) were observed. Kernel density estimates suggested a

high degree of temporal overlap between the snow leopard

and the fox, and the snow leopard and the lynx, as indicated

by high overlap coefficient estimates. There is an opportunity

to consider protective measures at the local scale that would

benefit various species simultaneously. However, it should

also be recognized that snow leopard conservation efforts

could exacerbate human–wildlife conflicts through their protective

effect on other carnivore species.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1434
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Author Michel, S., Michel, T. R., Saidov, A., Karimov, K., Alidodov, M., Kholmatov, I.
Title Population status of Heptner’s markhor Capra falconeri heptneri in Tajikistan: challenges for conservation Type Journal Article
Year Publication Flora & Fauna International Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages (up) 1-8
Keywords Capra falconeri, CITES, community-based wildlife management, conservancies, hunting, markhor, sustainable use
Abstract Heptner’s markhor Capra falconeri heptneri is an Endangered wild goat occurring in disjunct populations in southern Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Surveys to determine the total population in Tajikistan were conducted during February–April 2012. A total of 1,018 animals were observed. In most areas, which include state protected areas and family- and communitybased

conservancies, markhor populations are stable or increasing. Threats include illegal hunting, habitat degradation, competition with livestock and disease transmission. To motivate conservancies economically to protect markhor populations, trophy hunting should be permitted to accommodate the sustainable use of markhor, with revenues distributed in a transparent and equitably shared manner.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1437
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Author Alexander, J., S., Gopalaswamy, A., M., Shi, K., Hughes, J., Riordan, P.
Title Patterns of Snow Leopard Site Use in an Increasingly Human-Dominated Landscape Type Journal Article
Year 2016 Publication PLoS ONE Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages (up) 1-15
Keywords
Abstract Human population growth and concomitant increases in demand for natural resources pose threats to many wildlife populations. The landscapes used by the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and their prey is increasingly subject to major changes in land use. We aimed to assess the influence of 1) key human activities, as indicated by the presence of mining and livestock herding, and 2) the presence of a key prey species, the blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), on probability of snow leopard site use across the landscape. In Gansu Province, China, we conducted sign surveys in 49 grid cells, each of 16 km2 in size, within a larger area of 3392 km2. We analysed the data using likelihood-based habitat occupancy models that explicitly account for imperfect detection and spatial auto-correlation between survey transect segments. The model-averaged estimate of snow leopard occupancy was high [0.75 (SE 0.10)], but only marginally higher than the naïve estimate (0.67). Snow leop- ard segment-level probability of detection, given occupancy on a 500 m spatial replicate, was also high [0.68 (SE 0.08)]. Prey presence was the main determinant of snow leopard site use, while human disturbances, in the form of mining and herding, had low predictive power. These findings suggest that snow leopards continue to use areas very close to such disturbances, as long as there is sufficient prey. Improved knowledge about the effect of human activity on large carnivores, which require large areas and intact prey populations, is urgently needed for conservation planning at the local and global levels. We highlight a number of methodological considerations that should guide the design of such research.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1440
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Author Weiskopf, S. R., Kachel, S. M., McCarthy, K. P.
Title What Are Snow Leopards Really Eating? Identifying Bias in Food-Habit Studies Type Journal Article
Year 2016 Publication Wildlife Society Bulletin Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages (up) 1-8
Keywords diet, DNA genotyping, feces, Panthera uncia, scat, snow leopard. Lack of
Abstract Declining prey populations are widely recognized as a primary threat to snow leopard (Panthera

uncia) populations throughout their range. Effective snow leopard conservation will depend upon reliable

knowledge of food habits. Unfortunately, past food-habit studies may be biased by inclusion of nontarget

species in fecal analysis, potentially misinforming managers about snow leopard prey requirements.

Differentiation between snow leopard and sympatric carnivore scat is now cost-effective and reliable using

genetics. We used fecal mitochondrial DNA sequencing to identify scat depositors and assessment bias in

snow leopard food-habit studies. We compared presumed, via field identification, and genetically confirmed

snow leopard scats collected during 2005 and 2012 from 4 sites in Central Asia, using standard forensic

microscopy to identify prey species. Field identification success varied across study sites, ranging from 21% to

64% genetically confirmed snow leopard scats. Our results confirm the importance of large ungulate prey for

snow leopards. Studies that fail to account for potentially commonplace misidentification of snow leopard

scat may mistakenly include a large percentage of scats originating from other carnivores and report

inaccurate dietary assessments. Relying on field identification of scats led to overestimation of percent

occurrence, biomass, and number of small mammals consumed, but underestimated values of these measures for large ungulates in snow leopard diet. This clarification suggests that the conservation value of secondary prey, such as marmots (Marmota spp.) and other small mammals, may be overstated in the literature; stable snow leopard populations are perhaps more reliant upon large ungulate prey than previously understood.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1445
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Author Johansson, O., Rauset, G. R., Samelius, G., McCarthy, T., Andren, H., Tumursukh, L., Mishra, C.
Title Land sharing is essential for snow leopard conservation Type Journal Article
Year 2016 Publication Biological Conservation Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue 203 Pages (up) 1-7
Keywords Home range, LoCoH, Mongolia, Panthera uncial, Protected areas, Land sparing
Abstract Conserving large carnivores in an increasingly crowded planet raises difficult challenges. A recurring debate is whether large carnivores can be conserved in human used landscapes (land sharing) or whether they require specially designated areas (land sparing). Here we show that 40% of the 170 protected areas in the global range of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) are smaller than the home range of a single adult male and only 4– 13% are large enough for a 90% probability of containing 15 or more adult females. We used data from 16 snow leopards equipped with GPS collars in the Tost Mountains of South Gobi, Mongolia, to calculate home range size and overlap using three different estimators: minimum convex polygons (MCP), kernel utility distributions (Kernel), and local convex hulls (LoCoH). Local convex hull home ranges were smaller and included lower proportions of unused habitats compared to home ranges based on minimum convex polygons and Kernels. Intra-sexual home range overlapwas low, especially for adult males, suggesting that snowleopards are territorial. Mean home range size based on the LoCoH estimates was 207 km2 ± 63 SD for adult males and 124 km2 ± 41 SD for adult females. Our estimates were 6–44 times larger than earlier estimates based on VHF technology when comparing similar estimators, i.e. MCP. Our study illustrates that protected areas alone will not be able to conserve predatorswith large home ranges and conservationists and managers should not restrict their efforts to land sparing.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1446
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Author Mishra, C., Young, J. C., Fiechter, M., Rutherford, B., Redpath, S. M.
Title Building partnerships with communities for biodiversity conservation: lessons from Asian mountains Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication Journal of Applied Ecology Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages (up) 1-9
Keywords community engagement, conservation, conservation programmes, Panthera uncia, partnership, snow leopard, stakeholder engagement
Abstract Applied ecology lies at the intersection of human societies and natural systems. Consequently, applied ecologists are constantly challenged as to how best to use ecological knowledge to influence the management of ecosystems (Habel et al. 2013). As Hulme (2011) has pointed out, to do so effectively we must leave our ivory towers and engage with stakeholders. This engagement is especially important and challenging in areas of the world where poverty, weak institutions and poor governance structures conspire to limit the ability of local communities to contribute to biodiversity conservation. These communities often bear disproportionate costs in the form of curtailed access to natural resources, ecosystem services, and developmental

programmes, and also suffer wildlife-caused damage, including injuries or loss of human life, and economic

and psychological impacts (Madhusudan & Mishra 2003). It is well-recognized that conservation efforts in large parts of the world historically have been perceived to be discriminatory by local people (Mishra 2016). The need for engagement with local communities is therefore embedded in the 2020 Aichi biodiversity targets and is widely thought to be critical to the success of conservation efforts. However, although the need for engagement is clear, as ecologists and practitioners we often have little formal training in how we should engage with local communities and how we can recognize the pitfalls and opportunities provided by developing genuine partnerships. The practical challenges of achieving effective engagement are considerable (Agrawal & Gibson 1999; Waylen et al. 2010, 2013), and such forays are fraught with difficulties and ethical considerations (Chan et al. 2007). When they are done badly, conservation interventions

can damage relationships and trust, and lead to serious injustice to local people and setbacks for ecological

outcomes (Duffy 2010). Much has been written on knowledge exchange and participatory research approaches (e.g. Reed et al. 2014 and references therein). This Practitioner’s Perspective

seeks to focus on the next logical step: the elements that practitioners and researchers need to consider when

engaging with communities to effect conservation. Engagement around the management of protected areas

has been discussed and formalized (e.g. Dudley 2008). Considerable literature has also emerged, particularly

from Africa, on the use and co-management of natural resources, commonly referred to as community-based natural resource management or CBNRM (e.g. Fabricius 2004; Roe, Nelson & Sandbrook 2009; Child & Barnes

2010). There have been attempts to draw general principles for CBNRM (e.g. Thakadu 2005; Gruber 2010). In

the related field of community-based conservation, however, while there have been efforts to draw lessons (e.g. Berkes 2004), little exists in terms of frameworks or guidelines for effectively working with local communities to effect biodiversity conservation in multi-use landscapes

(Mishra 2016). The eight principles for community-based conservation outlined here (Fig. 1) build on ideas developed in fields as diverse as applied ecology, conservation and natural

resource management, community health, social psychology, rural development, negotiation theory, and ethics

(see Mishra 2016). They have been developed, challenged and tested through 20 years of community experience andour own research on the endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia and its mountain ecosystems, in South and Central Asia. We suspect that with contextual adaptations, their relevance for applied ecologists and practitioners may be universal.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1451
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Author Suryawanshi, K. R., Redpath, S. M., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Ramakrishnan, U., Chaturvedi, V., Smout, S. C., Mishra, C.
Title Impact of wild prey availability on livestock predation by snow leopards Type Journal Article
Year Publication Royal Society Open Science Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages (up) 1-11
Keywords apparent competition, apparent facilitation, conservation conflicts, indirect interactions, predator&#65533; prey interactions, snow leopard
Abstract An increasing proportion of the world&#65533;s poor is rearing livestock today, and the global livestock population is growing. Livestock predation by large carnivores and their retaliatory

killing is becoming an economic and conservation concern. A common recommendation for carnivore conservation and for reducing predation on livestock is to increase wild prey populations based on the assumption that the carnivores will consume this alternative food. Livestock predation, however, could either reduce or intensify with increases in wild prey depending on prey choice and trends in carnivore abundance. We show that the extent of livestock predation by the endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia

intensifies with increases in the density of wild ungulate prey, and subsequently stabilizes. We found that snow leopard density, estimated at seven sites, was a positive linear function of the density of wild ungulates&#65533;the preferred prey&#65533;and showed no discernible relationship with livestock density. We also found that modelled livestock predation increased with livestock density. Our results suggest that snow leopard conservation would benefit from an increase in wild ungulates, but that would intensify the problem of livestock predation for pastoralists. The potential benefits of increased wild prey abundance in reducing livestock predation

can be overwhelmed by a resultant increase in snow leopard populations. Snow leopard conservation efforts aimed atfacilitating increases in wild prey must be accompanied by greater assistance for better livestock

protection and offsetting the economic damage caused by carnivores.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1452
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Author Suryawanshi, K. R., Redpath, S., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Ramakrishnan, U., Chaturvedi, V., Smout, S. C., Mishra, C.
Title Impact of wild prey availability on livestock predation by snow leopards Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication Royal Society Open Science Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages (up) 1-11
Keywords apparent competition, apparent facilitation, conservation conflicts, indirect interactions, predator&#65533; prey interactions, snow leopard
Abstract An increasing proportion of the world&#65533;s poor is rearing

livestock today, and the global livestock population is growing.

Livestock predation by large carnivores and their retaliatory

killing is becoming an economic and conservation concern.

A common recommendation for carnivore conservation and

for reducing predation on livestock is to increase wild prey

populations based on the assumption that the carnivores

will consume this alternative food. Livestock predation,

however, could either reduce or intensify with increases

in wild prey depending on prey choice and trends in

carnivore abundance. We show that the extent of livestock

predation by the endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia

intensifies with increases in the density of wild ungulate

prey, and subsequently stabilizes. We found that snow leopard

density, estimated at seven sites, was a positive linear

function of the density of wild ungulates&#65533;the preferred

prey&#65533;and showed no discernible relationship with livestock

density. We also found that modelled livestock predation

increased with livestock density. Our results suggest that

snow leopard conservation would benefit from an increase

in wild ungulates, but that would intensify the problem of

livestock predation for pastoralists. The potential benefits of

increased wild prey abundance in reducing livestock predation

can be overwhelmed by a resultant increase in snow leopard

populations. Snow leopard conservation efforts aimed at

facilitating increases in wild prey must be accompanied by greater assistance for better livestock

protection and offsetting the economic damage caused by carnivores.
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1457
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Author Murali, R., Lkhagvajav, P., Saeed, U., Kizi, V. A., Nawaz, M. A., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Sharma, K., Mishra, C.
Title VALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN SNOW LEOPARD LANDSCAPES OF ASIA Type Report
Year 2017 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages (up) 1-46
Keywords
Abstract Snow leopards occur in Asia&#65533;s high mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Pamir, Tien Shan, Kunlun, Altai and Sayan. In all the 12 countries where they occur, snow leopards face intensifying threats to their survival, including habitat fragmentation and degradation due to increasing human populations, mining and developmental projects, poaching and illegal wildlife trade, weak law enforcement, inadequate involvement of local people in conservation efforts, and depletion of natural prey populations due to hunting by people and overgrazing by livestock.

To address the urgent needs of conservation of the snow leopard and the sustainable development of mountain peoples, the Governments of snow leopard range countries came together and agreed to invest efforts to conserve snow leopards in 23 large landscapes across its range under the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP).

These landscapes where the snow leopards occur are inhabited by agro-pastoral and pastoral peoples who depend on well functioning ecosystems for ecosystem services, i.e., the benefits that humans derive from nature. Many threats that impact snow leopards also impact the well-being of people living in these landscapes. However, till date, there have been no studies that have attempted to quantify peoples&#65533; dependence on ecosystem services in snow leopard landscapes, or understand the impacts that alternate land-use decisions such as mining or infrastructure can have on the ecosystem services and on the local people who are dependent on them.

In this report, we provide the first assessment of the economic value of provisioning ecosystem services &#65533; the material goods from ecosystems &#65533; used by local people in five study sites from four GSLEP landscapes: Spiti Valley and Changtang region of Ladakh in India&#65533;s Hemis-Spiti Landscape, Gurez Valley in the Himalayan Landscape of Pakistan, Tost Nature Reserve in the South Gobi Landscape of Mongolia, and the Sarychat region in the Central Tien Shan Landscape of Kyrgyzstan. In study sites that had both pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, we estimated ecosystem services separately for the two production systems.The average value (± SE) of ecosystem services per household amongst the agro-pastoral

communities of Gurez Valley (4125 ± 190 USD/HH/yr) was 2.5 times the average local household income. In the agro-pastoral communities of Spiti Valley (3964 ± 334.8 USD/HH/yr) it was 3.6 times the average local household income, while it was 3.7 times amongst the agro-pastoral communities of Changtang (15083 ± 1656 USD/HH/yr). Amongst the pastoral communities, the value of ecosystem services used by households was several times higher than the average household income: it was 26.1 times amongst the pastoral communities of Changtang (79303 ± 9204 USD HH/yr), 38.7 times among communities in Tost Nature Reserve (150100 ± 13290 USD/HH/yr), and 7.4 times among the pastoral communities of Sarychat (25473 ± 5236 USD/HH/yr). It was lower, although still substantial at 0.6 times, for the downstream agro-pastoral communities living outside the landscape boundary in Sarychat (2094 ± 189 USD/HH/yr).

Our work reveals substantially high levels of dependence of local communities on ecosystem services provided by snow leopard landscapes of Asia. The estimated economic value of provisioning ecosystem services used by human households in these landscapes ranged from 0.6 to up to 40 times the local annual household incomes. This economic support that nature provides people is critical for humanity but remains hidden and unaccounted for. Land use change decisions, especially those that are damaging for nature and biodiversity, must start accounting for the value of ecosystem services in their cost-benefit analyses.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1458
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