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Author Suryawanshi, K. R., Khanyari, M., Sharma, K., Lkhagvajav, P., Mishra, C. url 
  Title Sampling bias in snow leopard population estimation studies Type Journal Article
  Year 2019 Publication Population Eccology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages (down) 1-9  
  Keywords camera trap, Central Asia, Himalaya, meta-analysis, monitoring, Panthera uncia, population ecology  
  Abstract Accurate assessments of the status of threatened species and their conservation

planning require reliable estimation of their global populations and robust monitoring

of local population trends. We assessed the adequacy and suitability of studies

in reliably estimating the global snow leopard (Panthera uncia) population. We

compiled a dataset of all the peer-reviewed published literature on snow leopard

population estimation. Metadata analysis showed estimates of snow leopard density

to be a negative exponential function of area, suggesting that study areas have generally

been too small for accurate density estimation, and sampling has often been

biased towards the best habitats. Published studies are restricted to six of the

12 range countries, covering only 0.3�0.9% of the presumed global range of the

species. Re-sampling of camera trap data from a relatively large study site

(c.1684 km2) showed that small-sized study areas together with a bias towards

good quality habitats in existing studies may have overestimated densities by up to

five times. We conclude that current information is biased and inadequate for generating

a reliable global population estimate of snow leopards. To develop a rigorous

and useful baseline and to avoid pitfalls, there is an urgent need for

(a) refinement of sampling and analytical protocols for population estimation of

snow leopards (b) agreement and coordinated use of standardized sampling protocols

amongst researchers and governments across the range, and (c) sampling

larger and under-represented areas of the snow leopard's global range.
 
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1477  
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Author Maheshwari, A. , Sathyakumar, S. url  doi
  Title Snow leopard stewardship in mitigating human-wildlife conflict in Hemis National Park, Ladakh, India Type Journal Article
  Year 2019 Publication Human Dimensions of Wildlife Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages (down) 1-5  
  Keywords Snow leopard; human-wildlife conflict; ecotourism; livelihood; India  
  Abstract Among large predators, snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and co-predators (e.g., wolves

Canis lupus, lynx Lynx lynx) often cause economic losses, engendering animosity from

local communities in the mountain ecosystem across south and central Asia (Din et al.,

2017; Jackson & Lama, 2016; Maheshwari, Takpa, Kujur, & Shawl, 2010; Schaller, 2012).

These economic losses range from around US $50 to nearly $300 per household,

a significant sum given per capita annual incomes of $250 – $400 (Jackson & Wangchuk,

2004; Mishra, 1997). Recent efforts such as improved livestock husbandry practices

(predator-proof livestock corrals – closed night shelters with covered roof with wiremesh

and a closely fitting iron or wooden door that can be securely locked at night) and

community-based ecotourism (e.g., home stays, guides, porters, pack animals, campsites)

are providing alternative livelihood opportunities and mitigating large carnivores – human

conflict in the snow leopard habitats (Hanson, Schutgens, & Baral, 2018; Jackson, 2015;

Jackson & Lama, 2016; Vannelli, Hampton, Namgail, & Black, 2019). Snow leopard-based

ecotourism provides an opportunity to secure livelihoods and reduce poverty of the

communities living in ecotourism sites across Ladakh (Chandola, 2012; Jackson, 2015).

To understand the role of snow leopard-based ecotourism in uplifting the financial profile

of local communities, mitigating large carnivore – human conflict and eventually changing

attitudes towards large carnivores in Hemis National Park, Ladakh, India, we compared

the estimated financial gains of a snow leopard-based ecotourism to stated livestock

predation losses by snow leopards and wolves.
 
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1484  
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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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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1603  
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Author Vannelli, K., Hampton, M. P., Namgail, T., Black, S. A. url 
  Title Community participation in ecotourism and its effect on local perceptions of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) conservation Type Journal Article
  Year 2019 Publication Human Dimensions of Wildlife Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages (down) 1-14  
  Keywords Instrumental value; snow leopard; perceptions; ecotourism; human–wildlife conflict  
  Abstract Local support and involvement is often essential for effective

wildlife conservation. This study assessed the impact of local

involvement in ecotourism schemes on perceptions of wildlife, promotion

of conservation action, types of values that communities placed on

wildlife, and contexts in which wildlife are considered to be most

valuable. The study used qualitative semi-structured interviews

conducted in seven villages in Ladakh, India, which is an important

region of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) habitat. Results indicated that

in these communities, ecotourism-based interventions encourage more

positive perceptions of wildlife species, in particular the snow

leopard. Achieving change in community perceptions of wildlife is key

when implementing ecotourism schemes to enable more effective

conservation, as well as generating local awareness and value for

wildlife toward problematic keystone species such as the snow leopard,

which are frequently the focus of human-wildlife conflict.
 
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  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1607  
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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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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1623  
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Author Rashid, W., Shi, J., Rahim, I. U., Dong, S., Sultan, H. url 
  Title Issues and Opportunities Associated with Trophy Hunting and Tourism in Khunjerab National Park, Northern Pakistan Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication Animals Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 10 Issue 597 Pages (down) 1-20  
  Keywords trophy hunting; mass tourism; Pamir; eco-tourism; human-Snow leopard conflict  
  Abstract Trophy hunting and mass tourism are the two major interventions designed to provide various socioeconomic and ecological benefits at the local and regional levels. However, these interventions have raised some serious concerns that need to be addressed. This study was conducted in Khunjerab National Park (KNP) with an aim to analyze comparatively the socioeconomic and ecological impacts of trophy hunting and mass tourism over the last three decades within the context of sustainability. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with key stakeholders and household interviews were conducted to collect data on trophy hunting and mass tourism, and on local attitudes towards these two interventions in and around KNP. The results revealed that 170 Ibex (Capra sibirica) and 12 Blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) were hunted in the study area over the past three decades, and trophy hunting was not based on a sustainable harvest level. Trophy hunting on average generated USD 16,272 annual revenue, which was invested in community development. However, trophy hunting has greatly changed the attitudes of local residents towards wildlife: a positive attitude towards the wild ungulates and strongly negative attitude towards wild carnivores. In addition, trophy hunting has reduced the availability of ungulate prey species for Snow leopards (Panthera uncia), and consequently, Snow leopards have increased their predation on domestic livestock. This has, in turn, increased human–snow leopard conflict, as negative attitudes towards carnivores result in retaliatory killing of Snow leopards. Furthermore, according to ocial record data, the number of tourists to KNP has increased tremendously by 10,437.8%, from 1382 in 1999 to 145,633 in 2018. Mass tourism on average generated USD 33,904 annually and provided opportunities for locals to earn high incomes, but it caused damages to the environment and ecosystem in KNP through pollution generation and negative impacts on wildlife. Considering the limited benefits and significant problems created by trophy hunting and mass tourism, we suggest trophy hunting should be stopped and mass tourism should be shifted to ecotourism in and around KNP. Ecotourism could mitigate human–Snow leopard conflicts and help conserve the fragile ecosystem, while generating enough revenue incentives for the community to protect biodiversity and compensate for livestock depredation losses to Snow leopards. Our results may have implications for management of trophy hunting and mass tourism in other similar regions that deserve further investigation.  
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  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1621  
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Author Durbach, I., Borchers, D., Sutherland, C., Sharma, K. url 
  Title Fast, flexible alternatives to regular grid designs for spatial capture–recapture. Type Research Article
  Year 2020 Publication Methods in Ecology and Evolution Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages (down) 1-13  
  Keywords camera trap, population ecology,sampling, spatial capture-recapture, surveys  
  Abstract Spatial capture–recapture (SCR) methods use the location of

detectors (camera traps, hair snares and live-capture traps) and the

locations at which animals were detected (their spatial capture

histories) to estimate animal density. Despite the often large expense

and effort involved in placing detectors in a landscape, there has been

relatively little work on how detectors should be located. A natural

criterion is to place traps so as to maximize the precision of density

estimators, but the lack of a closed-form expression for precision has

made optimizing this criterion computationally demanding. 2. Recent

results by Efford and Boulanger (2019) show that precision can be well

approximated by a function of the expected number of detected

individuals and expected number of recapture events, both of which can

be evaluated at low computational cost. We use these results to develop

a method for obtaining survey designs that optimize this approximate

precision for SCR studies using count or binary proximity detectors, or

multi-catch traps. 3. We show how the basic design protocol can be

extended to incorporate spatially varying distributions of activity

centres and animal detectability. We illustrate our approach by

simulating from a camera trap study of snow leopards in Mongolia and

comparing estimates from our designs to those generated by regular or

optimized grid designs. Optimizing detector placement increased the

number of detected individuals and recaptures, but this did not always

lead to more precise density estimators due to less precise estimation

of the effective sampling area. In most cases, the precision of density

estimators was comparable to that obtained with grid designs, with

improvement in some scenarios where approximate CV(¬D) < 20% and density

varied spatially. 4. Designs generated using our approach are

transparent and statistically grounded. They can be produced for survey

regions of any shape, adapt to known information about animal density

and detectability, and are potentially easier and less costly to

implement. We recommend their use as good, flexible candidate designs

for SCR surveys when reasonable knowledge of model parameters exists. We

provide software for researchers to construct their own designs, in the

form of updates to design functions in the r package oSCR.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1618  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Sultan, H., Rashid, W., Shi, J., Rahim, I. U., Nafees, M., Bohnett, E., Rashid, S., Khan, M. T., Shah, I. A., Han, H., Ariza-Montes, A. pdf 
  Title Horizon Scan of Transboundary Concerns Impacting Snow Leopard Landscapes in Asia Type Journal Article
  Year 2022 Publication MDPI Abbreviated Journal Land  
  Volume 11 Issue 248 Pages (down) 1-22  
  Keywords collaboration; habitat; innovative solutions; integrated landscape approach; socio- ecological system; trade corridor; tourism  
  Abstract The high-altitude region of Asia is prone to natural resource degradation caused by a variety of natural and anthropogenic factors that also threaten the habitat of critical top predator species, the snow leopard (Panthera uncia). The snow leopard’s landscape encompasses parts of the twelve Asian countries and is dominated by pastoral societies within arid mountainous terrain. However, no investigation has assessed the vulnerability and pathways towards long-term sustainability on the global snow leopard landscape scale. Thus, the current study reviewed 123 peer-reviewed scientific publications on the existing knowledge, identified gaps, and proposed sustainable mitigation options for the longer term and on larger landscape levels in the range countries. The natural resource degradation in this region is caused by various social, economic, and ecological threats that negatively affect its biodiversity. The factors that make the snow leopard landscapes vulnerable include habitat fragmentation through border fencing, trade corridor infrastructure, non-uniform conservation policies, human–snow leopard conflict, the increasing human population, climatic change, land use and cover changes, and unsustainable tourism. Thus, conservation of the integrated Socio-Ecological System (SES) prevailing in this region requires a multi-pronged approach. This paper proposes solutions and identifies the pathways through which to implement these solutions. The prerequisite to implementing such solutions is the adoption of cross-border collaboration (regional cooperation), the creation of peace parks, readiness to integrate transnational and cross-sectoral conservation policies, a focus on improving livestock management practices, a preparedness to control human population growth, a readiness to mitigate climate change, initiating transboundary landscape-level habitat conservation, adopting environment-friendly trade corridors, and promoting sustainable tourism. Sustainable development in this region encompasses the political, social, economic, and ecological landscapes across the borders.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1671  
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Author Saeed, U., Arshad, M., Hayat, S., Morelli, T. L., Nawaz, M. A. pdf 
  Title Analysis of provisioning ecosystem services and perceptions of climate change for indigenous communities in the Western Himalayan Gurez Valley, Pakistan Type Journal Article
  Year 2022 Publication Ecosytem Services Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 56 Issue 101453 Pages (down) 1-12  
  Keywords Economic valuation, Provisioning ecosystem services, Climate change, Focus group discussion, Gurez Valley, Western Himalayas  
  Abstract Climate change is a significant threat to people living in mountainous regions. It is essential to understand how montane communities currently depend especially on the provisioning ecosystem services (ES) and the ways in which climate change will impact these services, so that people can develop relevant adaptation strategies. The ES in the Gurez Valley, in the Western Himalayas of Pakistan, provide a unique opportunity to explore these questions. This understudied area is increasingly exposed not only to climate change but also to the over- exploitation of resources. Hence, this study aimed to (a) identify and value provisioning ES in the region; (b) delineate indigenous communities’ reliance on ES based on valuation; and (c) measure the perceptions of indigenous communities of the impact of climate change on the ES in Gurez Valley. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to classify the provisioning ES by using the ‘Common International Classification on Ecosystem Services’ (CICES) table and applying the ‘Total Economic Valuation (TEV)’ Frame- work. Results indicate that the indigenous communities are highly dependent on ES, worth 6730 ± 520 USD/ Household (HH)/yr, and perceive climate change as a looming threat to water, crops, and rearing livestock ESS in the Gurez Valley. The total economic value of the provisioning ES is 3.1 times higher than a household’s average income. Medicinal plant collection is a significant source of revenue in the Valley for some households, i.e., worth 766 ± 134.8 USD/HH/yr. The benefits of the sustainable use of ES and of climate change adaptation and mitigation, are culturally, economically, and ecologically substantial for the Western Himalayans.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1693  
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Author Hanson, J. H., Schutgens, M., Baral, N., Leader-Williams, N. pdf 
  Title Assessing the potential of snow leopard tourism-related products and services in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal Type Journal Article
  Year 2022 Publication Tourism Planning & Development Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages (down) 1-20  
  Keywords Eco-certified products; ecotourism; conservation enterprise; large carnivores; tourism impacts; South Asia  
  Abstract Conservation Enterprise is increasingly promoted to support the conservation of species and landscapes through incentives, such as ecotourism, including in the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA), Nepal. Yet the elusive behaviour of snow leopards here limits opportunities for conservation enterprise, particularly those linked to conventional ecotourism forms. Furthermore, the potential to explicitly link local snow leopard-friendly livestock production systems with the tourist market in the area, via eco-certified livestock products, has not been investigated. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the interest, from supply and demand perspectives, in introducing snow leopard ecotourism services and eco-certified products into the ACA tourist market. Questionnaire data were gathered from 406 tourists and 403 local residents. Our results, of interest to managers and researchers alike, show that there is potential to generate funds and support for both snow leopard conservation and community development, and add to the literature on utilising enterprise initiatives as conservation tools.  
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1696  
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