Abstract: Snow leopards Panthera uncia are under threat across their range and require urgent conservation actions based on sound science. However, their remote habitat and cryptic nature make them inherently difficult to study and past attempts have provided insufficient information upon which to base effective conservation. Further, there has been no statistically-reliable and cost-effective method available to monitor snow leopard populations, focus conservation effort on key populations, or assess conservation impacts. To address these multiple information needs, Panthera, Snow Leopard Trust, and Snow Leopard Conservation Fund, launched an ambitious long-term study in Mongolia’s South Gobi province in 2008. To date, 10 snow leo-pards have been fitted with GPS-satellite collars to provide information on basic snow leopard ecology. Using 2,443 locations we calculated MCP home ranges of 150 – 938 km2, with substantial overlap between individuals. Exploratory movements outside typical snow leopard habitat have been observed. Trials of camera trapping, fecal genetics, and occupancy modeling, have been completed. Each method ex-hibits promise, and limitations, as potential monitoring tools for this elusive species.

Abstract: Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are a keystone species of Asia’s high mountain ecosystem. The species is assessed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is elusive, limiting accurate population assessments that could inform conservation actions. Non-invasive genetic monitoring conducted by citizen scientists offers avenues to provide key data on this species. From 2011 to 2019, OSI-Panthera citizen science expeditions tracked signs of presence of snow leopards and collected scat samples along transects in the main valleys and crests of the Sarychat-Ertash State Reserve (Kyrgyzstan). Scat samples were genotyped at twenty autosomal microsatellite loci and at a X/Y locus (sex identification), allowing an estimation of a minimum of 17 individuals. The genetic recapture of 12 of them provided indications of individuals’ habitat use throughout the reserve. We found putative family relationships between several individuals; however, further research is needed to validate these findings. Our results demonstrate the potential of a citizen science program to collect meaningful data that can inform the conservation management of snow leopards.