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Author Sharma, R. K., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Mishra, C. url 
  Title Does livestock benefit or harm snow leopards? Type Journal Article
  Year 201 Publication Biological Conservatio Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue 190 Pages (down) 8-13  
  Keywords Panthera uncia, Trans-Himalaya, Pastoralism, Large carnivores, Livestock grazing, Co-existence  
  Abstract Large carnivores commonly prey on livestock when their ranges overlap. Pastoralism is the dominant land use type across the distributional range of the endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia. Snow leop- ards are often killed in retaliation against livestock depredation. Whether livestock, by forming an alter- native prey, could potentially benefit snow leopards, or, whether livestock use of an area is detrimental to snow leopards is poorly understood. We examined snow leopard habitat use in a multiple use landscape that was comprised of sites varying in livestock abundance, wild prey abundance and human population size. We photographically sampled ten sites (average size 70 sq. km) using ten camera traps in each site, deployed for a period of 60 days. Snow leopard habitat use was computed as a Relative Use Index based on the total independent photographic captures and the number of snow leopard individuals captured at each site. We quantified livestock abundance, wild prey abundance, human population size and terrain ruggedness in each of the sites. Key variables influencing snow leopard habitat use were identified using Information Theory based model selection approach. Snow leopard habitat use was best explained by wild prey density, and showed a positive linear relationship with the abundance of wild ungulates. We found a hump-shaped relationship between snow leopard habitat use and livestock stocking density, with an initial increase in habitat use followed by a decline beyond a threshold of livestock density. Our results suggest that in the absence of direct persecution of snow leopards, livestock grazing and snow leopard habitat use are potentially compatible up to a certain threshold of livestock density, beyond which habitat use declines, presumably due to depressed wild ungulate abundance and associated anthropogenic disturbance.  
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1426  
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Author Bhatnagar, Y.V.; Stakrey, R.W.; Jackson, R. url 
  Title A Survey of Depredation and Related Wildlife-Human Conflicts in Hemis National Park, Ladakh (India) Type Miscellaneous
  Year 2000 Publication Snow Line Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume xvi Issue Pages (down) 3  
  Keywords Jammu; Kashmir; Ladakh; conflicts; herders; livestock; predator; prey; grazing; ungulates; economics; Hemis; browse; 4430  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Islt Place of Publication Seattle Editor  
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Full Text at URLJournal Title: Snowline Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rana @ 431 Serial 136  
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Author Raghavan, B.; Bhatnagar, Y.; Qureshi, Q. url 
  Title Interactions between livestock and Ladakh urial (Ovis vignei vignei); final report Type Report
  Year 2003 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages (down) 1-46  
  Keywords Interactions; interaction; livestock; Ladakh; urial; ovis; endangered; Animal; Iucn; 2000; Cites; indian; wildlife; protection; number; 1960; 70; hunting; meat; fox; Chundawat; population; range; species; recent; humans; Human; Pressure; habitat; areas; area; human activity; activity; activities; agriculture; pastoralism; development; dam; Base; threats; threat; poaching; grazing; trans-himalaya; transhimalaya; Competition; resource; presence; India; project; International; international snow leopard trust; International-Snow-Leopard-Trust; snow; snow leopard; snow-leopard; leopard; trust; program  
  Abstract The Ladakh urial (Ovis vignei vignei) is a highly endangered animal (IUCN Red List 2000) listed in the Appendix 1 of CITES and Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Its numbers had been reduced to a few hundred individuals in the 1960s and 70s through hunting for trophies and meat (Fox et al. 1991, Mallon 1983, Chundawat and Qureshi 1999, IUCN Red List 2000). However, with the protection bestowed by the IWPA 1972, and resultant decrease in hunting, the population seems to have shown a marginal increase to about 1000-1500 individuals in its range in Ladakh (Chundawat and Qureshi 1999, IUCN Red List 2000). Although the species had in the past, been able to coexist with the predominantly Buddhist society of Ladakh, the recent increase in the population of both humans and their livestock has placed immense pressures on its habitat (Shackleton 1997, Chundawat and Qureshi 1999, Raghavan and Bhatnagar 2003). This is especially important considering that the Ladakh urial habitat coincides with the areas of maximum human activity in terms of settlements, agriculture, pastoralism and development, in Ladakh (Fox et al. 1991, Chundawat and Qureshi 1999, Raghavan and Bhatnagar 2003). Increased developmental activities such as construction of roads, dams, and military bases in these areas have also increased the access to their habitat. This has consequently made the species more vulnerable to the threats of poaching and habitat destruction (Fox et al. 1991, Chundawat and Qureshi 1999, Raghavan and Bhatnagar 2002). Pressure from increased livestock grazing is one of the major threats faced by the species today (Shackleton 1997, Fox et al. 1991, Mallon 1983, IUCN Red List 2000 Chundawat and Qureshi 1999, Raghavan and Bhatnagar 2003). In the impoverished habitat provided by the Trans-Himalayas, there is great competition for the scarce resources between various animal species surviving here (Fox 1996, Mishra 2001). The presence of livestock intensifies this competition and can either force the species out of its niche (competitive exclusion) by displacing it from that area or resource, or lead to partitioning of resources between the species, spatially or temporally, for coexistence (Begon et al. 1986, Gause 1934).  
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  Notes Project funded by International Snow Leopard Trust Small Grants Program. Wildlife Institute of India. Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rana @ 1075 Serial 802  
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Author Suryawanshi, K.R.; Bhatnagar, Y.; Mishra, C. url 
  Title Why should a grazer browse? Livestock impact on winter resource use by bharal Pseudois nayaur Type Journal Article
  Year 2009 Publication Oecologia Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages (down) 1-10  
  Keywords browse; livestock; impact; winter; resource; use; bharal; Pseudois; pseudois nayaur; Pseudois-nayaur; nayaur; diet; variation; diets; conservation; Media; study; decline; areas; area; grazing; Pressure; plants; plant; sign; feeding; location; population; structure; populations; using; young; Female; times; High; Competition; species; predators; predator; endangered; snow; snow leopard; snow-leopard; leopard; trans-himalaya; transhimalaya  
  Abstract Many mammalian herbivores show a temporal diet variation between graminoid-dominated and browse dominated diets. We determined the causes of such a diet shift and its implications for conservation of a medium sized ungulate-the bharal Pseudois nayaur. Past studies show that the bharal diet is dominated by graminoids (>80%) during summer, but the contribution of graminoids declines to about 50% in winter. We tested the predictions generated by two alternative hypotheses explaining the decline: low graminoid availability during winter causes bharal to include browse in their diet; bharal include browse, with relatively higher nutritional quality, in their diet to compensate for the poor quality of graminoids during winter. We measured winter graminoid availability in areas with no livestock grazing, areas with relatively moderate livestock grazing, and those with intense livestock grazing pressures. The chemical composition of plants contributing to the bharal diet was analysed. The bharal diet was quantiWed through signs of feeding on vegetation at feeding locations. Population structures of bharal populations were recorded using a total count method. Graminoid availability was highest in areas without livestock grazing, followed by areas with moderate and intense livestock grazing. The bharal diet was dominated by graminoids (73%) in areas with highest graminoid availability. Graminoid contribution to the bharal diet declined monotonically (50, 36%) with a decline in graminoid availability. Bharal young to female ratio was 3 times higher in areas with high graminoid availability than areas with low graminoid availability. The composition of the bharal winter diet was governed predominantly by the availability of graminoids in the rangelands. Our results suggest that bharal include more browse in their diet during winter due to competition from livestock for graminoids. Since livestock grazing reduces graminoid availability, creation of livestock-free areas is necessary for the conservation of grazing species such as the bharal and its predators including the endangered snow leopard in the Trans-Himalaya.  
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  Notes This study was made possible by a grant from the Snow Leopard Network. Additional support was given by the Wildlife Conservation Society-India Program and Nature Conservation Foundation, the Whitley Fund for Nature, the Ford Foundation, and the Nadathur Conservation Trust. Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rana @ 1062 Serial 951  
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Author Bagchi, S., Sharma, R. K., Bhatnagar, Y.V. url 
  Title Change in snow leopard predation on livestock after revival of wild prey in the Trans-Himalaya Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication Wildlife Biology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages (down) 1-11  
  Keywords arid ecosystems, diet analysis, human-wildlife conflict, Panthera, predator, rangeland  
  Abstract Human–wildlife conflict arising from livestock-losses to large carnivores is an important challenge faced by conservation. Theory of prey–predator interactions suggests that revival of wild prey populations can reduce predator’s dependence on livestock in multiple-use landscapes. We explore whether 10-years of conservation efforts to revive wild prey could reduce snow leopard’s Panthera uncia consumption of livestock in the coupled human-and-natural Trans-Himalayan ecosystem of northern India. Starting in 2001, concerted conservation efforts at one site (intervention) attempted recovery of wild- prey populations by creating livestock-free reserves, accompanied with other incentives (e.g. insurance, vigilant herding). Another site, 50km away, was monitored as status quo without any interventions. Prey remains in snow leopard scats were examined periodically at five-year intervals between 2002 and 2012 to determine any temporal shift in diet at both sites to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation interventions. Consumption of livestock increased at the status quo site, while it decreased at the intervention-site. At the intervention-site, livestock-consumption reduced during 2002–2007 (by 17%, p = 0.06); this effect was sustained during the next five-year interval, and it was accompanied by a persistent increase in wild prey populations. Here we also noted increased predator populations, likely due to immigration into the study area. Despite the increase in the predator population, there was no increase in livestock-consumption. In contrast, under status quo, dependence on livestock increased during both five-year intervals (by 7%, p=0.08, and by 16%, p=0.01, respectively). These contrasts between the trajectories of the two sites suggest that livestock-loss can potentially be reduced through the revival of wild prey. Further, accommodating counter-factual scenarios may be an important step to infer whether conservation efforts achieve their targets, or not.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1623  
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Author Murali,R., Ikhagvajav, P., Amankul, V., Jumabay, K., Sharma, K., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Suryawanshi, K., Mishra, C. url 
  Title Ecosystem service dependence in livestock and crop-based Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal of Arid Environments Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 180 Issue Pages (down) 1-10  
  Keywords Provisioning services Arid ecosystems Local communities Land-use  
  Abstract Globally, in semi-arid and arid landscapes, there is an

ongoing transition from livestock-production systems to crop-production

systems, and in many parts of Asia's arid mountains, mining for minerals

is also increasing. These changes are accompanied by a change in the

generation and quality of ecosystem services (ES), which can impact

human well-being. In this study, to better understand the impacts of

such transitions, we quantified ES in two crop-based and three

livestock-based production systems in the arid and semi-arid landscapes

of the High Himalaya and Central Asia, specifically in the Indian

Himalaya, Kyrgyz Tien Shan, and Mongolian Altai. Our results showed 1)

high economic dependence (3.6–38 times the respective annual household

income) of local farmers on provisioning ES, with the economic value of

ES being greater in livestock-production systems (7.4–38 times the

annual household income) compared to crop-production systems (3.6–3.7

times the annual household income); 2) ES input into cashmere

production, the main commodity from the livestock-production systems,

was 13–18 times greater than the price of cashmere received by the

farmer; and 3) in the livestock production systems affected by mining,

impacts on ES and quality of life were reported to be negative by

majority of the respondents. We conclude that livestock-based systems

may be relatively more vulnerable to degrading impacts of mining and

other ongoing developments due to their dependence on larger ES resource

catchments that tend to have weaker land tenure and are prone to

fragmentation. In contrast to the general assumption of low value of ES

in arid and semi-arid landscapes due to relatively low primary

productivity, our study underscores the remarkably high importance of ES

in supporting local livelihoods.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1603  
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Author Suryawanshi, K. R., Bhatia, S., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Redpath, S., Mishra, C url 
  Title Multiscale Factors Affecting Human Attitudes toward Snow Leopards and Wolves Type Journal Article
  Year 2014 Publication Conservation biology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 00 Issue Pages (down) 1-10  
  Keywords Canis lupus, carnivore, human–wildlife conflicts, Panthera uncia, wildlife acceptance  
  Abstract The threat posed by large carnivores to livestock and humans makes peaceful coexistence between

them difficult. Effective implementation of conservation laws and policies depends on the attitudes of local

residents toward the target species. There are many known correlates of human attitudes toward carnivores,

but they have only been assessed at the scale of the individual. Because human societies are organized hierarchically, attitudes are presumably influenced by different factors at different scales of social organization, but this scale dependence has not been examined.We used structured interview surveys to quantitatively assess the attitudes of a Buddhist pastoral community toward snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and wolves (Canis lupus).

We interviewed 381 individuals from 24 villages within 6 study sites across the high-elevation Spiti Valley in

the Indian Trans-Himalaya. We gathered information on key explanatory variables that together captured

variation in individual and village-level socioeconomic factors.We used hierarchical linear models to examine how the effect of these factors on human attitudes changed with the scale of analysis from the individual to the community. Factors significant at the individual level were gender, education, and age of the respondent (for wolves and snow leopards), number of income sources in the family (wolves), agricultural production, and large-bodied livestock holdings (snow leopards). At the community level, the significant factors included the number of smaller-bodied herded livestock killed by wolves and mean agricultural production (wolves) and village size and large livestock holdings (snow leopards). Our results show that scaling up from the individual to higher levels of social organization can highlight important factors that influence attitudes of people toward wildlife and toward formal conservation efforts in general. Such scale-specific information can help managers apply conservation measures at appropriate scales. Our results reiterate the need for conflict management programs to be multipronged.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1417  
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Author Suryawanshi, K. R., Redpath, S. M., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Ramakrishnan, U., Chaturvedi, V., Smout, S. C., Mishra, C. url 
  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 (down) 1-11  
  Keywords apparent competition, apparent facilitation, conservation conflicts, indirect interactions, predator� prey interactions, snow leopard  
  Abstract An increasing proportion of the world�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�the preferred prey�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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  Notes Approved no  
  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. url 
  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 (down) 1-11  
  Keywords apparent competition, apparent facilitation, conservation conflicts, indirect interactions, predator� prey interactions, snow leopard  
  Abstract An increasing proportion of the world�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�the preferred

prey�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.
 
  Address  
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  Notes Approved no  
  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. url 
  Title VALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN SNOW LEOPARD LANDSCAPES OF ASIA Type Report
  Year 2017 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages (down) 1-46  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Snow leopards occur in Asia�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� 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 � the material goods from ecosystems � used by local people in five study sites from four GSLEP landscapes: Spiti Valley and Changtang region of Ladakh in India�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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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1458  
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