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Author Filla, M., Lama, R. P., Ghale, T. R., Signer, J., Filla, T., Aryal, R. R., Heurich, M., Waltert, M., Balkenhol, N., Khorozyan, I. pdf 
  Title In the shadows of snow leopards and the Himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in Manang, Nepal Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication (down) Ecology and Evolution Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 2021 Issue 11 Pages 108-122  
  Keywords Annapurna Conservation Area, bharal, Panthera uncia, predator-prey, Pseudois nayaur  
  Abstract There is a growing agreement that conservation needs to be proactive and pay increased attention to common species and to the threats they face. The blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) plays a key ecological role in sensitive high-altitude ecosystems of Central Asia and is among the main prey species for the globally vulnerable snow leopard (Panthera uncia). As the blue sheep has been increasingly exposed to human pressures, it is vital to estimate its population dynamics, protect the key populations, identify important habitats, and secure a balance between conservation and local livelihoods. We conducted a study in Manang, Annapurna Conservation Area (Nepal), to survey blue sheep on 60 transects in spring (127.9 km) and 61 transects in autumn (134.7 km) of 2019, estimate their minimum densities from total counts, compare these densities with previous estimates, and assess blue sheep habitat selection by the application of generalized additive models (GAMs). Total counts yielded minimum density estimates of 6.0–7.7 and 6.9–7.8 individuals/km2 in spring and autumn, respectively, which are relatively high compared to other areas. Elevation and, to a lesser extent, land cover indicated by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) strongly affected habitat selection by blue sheep, whereas the effects of anthropogenic variables were insignificant. Animals were found mainly in habitats associated with grasslands and shrublands at elevations between 4,200 and 4,700 m. We show that the blue sheep population size in Manang has been largely maintained over the past three decades, indicating the success of the integrated conservation and development efforts in this area. Considering a strong dependence of snow leopards on blue sheep, these findings give hope for the long-term conservation of this big cat in Manang. We suggest that long-term population monitoring and a better understanding of blue sheep–livestock interactions are crucial to maintain healthy populations of blue sheep and, as a consequence, of snow leopards.  
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1683  
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Author Atzeni, L., Cushman, S. A., Bai, D., Wang, J., Chen, P., Shi, K., Riordan, P. url 
  Title Meta-replication, sampling bias, and multi-scale model selection: A case study on snow leopard (Panthera uncia) in western China. Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication (down) Ecology and Evolution Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-27  
  Keywords MaxEnt, meta-replication, multi-scale, Panthera uncia, sampling bias, scale selection, snow leopard, species distribution model  
  Abstract Replicated multiple scale species distribution models (SDMs)

have become increasingly important to identify the correct variables

determining species distribution and their influences on ecological

responses. This study explores multi-scale habitat relationships of the

snow leopard (Panthera uncia) in two study areas on the Qinghai–Tibetan

Plateau of western China. Our primary objectives were to evaluate the

degree to which snow leopard habitat relationships, expressed by

predictors, scales of response, and magnitude of effects, were

consistent across study areas or locally landcape-specific. We coupled

univariate scale optimization and the maximum entropy algorithm to

produce multivariate SDMs, inferring the relative suitability for the

species by ensembling top performing models. We optimized the SDMs based

on average omission rate across the top models and ensembles’ overlap

with a simulated reference model. Comparison of SDMs in the two study

areas highlighted landscape-specific responses to limiting factors.

These were dependent on the effects of the hydrological network,

anthropogenic features, topographic complexity, and the heterogeneity of

the landcover patch mosaic. Overall, even accounting for specific local

differences, we found general landscape attributes associated with snow

leopard ecological requirements, consisting of a positive association

with uplands and ridges, aggregated low-contrast landscapes, and large

extents of grassy and herbaceous vegetation. As a means to evaluate the

performance of two bias correction methods, we explored their effects on

three datasets showing a range of bias intensities. The performance of

corrections depends on the bias intensity; however, density kernels

offered a reliable correction strategy under all circumstances. This

study reveals the multi-scale response of snow leopards to environmental

attributes and confirms the role of meta-replicated study designs for

the identification of spatially varying limiting factors. Furthermore,

this study makes important contributions to the ongoing discussion about

the best approaches for sampling bias correction.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1616  
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Author Sharma, K., Fiechter, M., George, T., Young, J., Alexander, J. S., Bijoor, Suryawanshi, K., Mishra, C. url 
  Title Conservation and people: Towards an ethical code of conduct for the use of camera traps in wildlife research Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication (down) Ecological Solutions and Evidence Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-6  
  Keywords camera trap, code of conduct, ethics, human rights, law, PARTNERS principles for community- based conservation, privacy, snow leopard  
  Abstract 1. Camera trapping is a widely employed tool in wildlife

research, used to estimate animal abundances, understand animal

movement, assess species richness and under- stand animal behaviour. In

addition to images of wild animals, research cameras often record human

images, inadvertently capturing behaviours ranging from innocuous

actions to potentially serious crimes.

2. With the increasing use of camera traps, there is an urgent need to

reflect on how researchers should deal with human images caught on

cameras. On the one hand, it is important to respect the privacy of

individuals caught on cameras, while, on the other hand, there is a

larger public duty to report illegal activity. This creates ethical

dilemmas for researchers.

3. Here, based on our camera-trap research on snow leopards Panthera

uncia, we outline a general code of conduct to help improve the practice

of camera trap based research and help researchers better navigate the

ethical-legal tightrope of this important research tool.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1626  
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Author Rode, J., Pelletier, A., Fumey, J., Rode, S., Cabanat, A. L., Ouvrard, A., Chaix, B., White, B., Harnden, M., Xuan, N. T., Vereshagin, A., Casane, D. url 
  Title Diachronic monitoring of snow leopards at Sarychat-Ertash State Reserve (Kyrgyzstan) through scat genotyping: a pilot study Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication (down) bioRxiv Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-21  
  Keywords snow leopard, noninvasive genotyping, population dynamics, microsatellite, relatedness, diachronic monitoring, citizen science, Central Asia  
  Abstract Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are a keystone species of Central Asia’s high mountain ecosystem. The species is listed as vulnerable and is elusive, preventing 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 that would otherwise be inaccessible. From 2011 to 2015, OSI-Panthera citizen science expeditions tracked signs of presence of snow leopards along transects in the main valleys and crests of the Sarychat-Ertash State Reserve (Kyrgyzstan). Scat samples were genotyped at seven autosomal microsatellite loci and at a X/Y locus for sex identification, which allowed estimating a minimum of 11 individuals present in the reserve from 2011 to 2015. The genetic recapture of 7 of these individuals enabled diachronic monitoring, providing indications of individuals’ movements throughout the reserve. We found putative family relationships between several individuals. Our results demonstrate the potential of this citizen science program to get a precise description of a snow leopard population through time.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1602  
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Author Sharma, R. K., Sharma, K., Borchers, D., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Suryawanshi, K. S., Mishra, C. url 
  Title Spatial variation in population-density, movement and detectability of snow leopards in 2 a multiple use landscape in Spiti Valley, Trans-Himalaya Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication (down) bioRxiv Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords Co-existence; land sharing; population-density; spatial capture recapture; Pseudois nayaur Capra sibirica; ungulates; livestock.  
  Abstract The endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia occurs in human use landscapes in the mountains of South and Central Asia. Conservationists generally agree that snow leopards must be conserved through a land-sharing approach, rather than land-sparing in the form of strictly protected areas. Effective conservation through land-sharing requires a good understanding of how snow leopards respond to human use of the landscape. Snow leopard density is expected to show spatial variation within a landscape because of variation in the intensity of human use and the quality of habitat. However, snow leopards have been difficult to enumerate and monitor. Variation in the density of snow leopards remains undocumented, and the impact of human use on their populations is poorly understood. We examined spatial variation in snow leopard density in Spiti Valley, an important snow leopard landscape in India, via spatially explicit capture recapture analysis of camera trap data. We camera trapped an area encompassing a minimum convex polygon of 953 km . We estimated an overall density of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.39-0.73) adult snow leopards per 100 km . Using AIC, our best model showed the density of snow leopards to depend on wild prey density, movement about activity centres to depend on altitude, and the expected number of encounters at the activity centre to depend on topography. Models that also used livestock biomass as a density covariate ranked second, but the effect of livestock was weak. Our results highlight the importance of maintaining high density pockets of wild prey populations in multiple use landscapes to enhance snow leopard conservation.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1620  
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Author Singh, R., Krausman, P. R., Pandey, P., Maheshwari, A., Rawal, R. S., Sharma, S., Shekhar, S. url 
  Title Predicting Habitat Suitability of Snow Leopards in the Western Himalayan Mountains, India Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication (down) Biology bulletin Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 47 Issue 6 Pages 655-664  
  Keywords biogeographic distribution, climate, endangered cat, MaxEnt, snow leopard  
  Abstract The population of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is declining

across their range, due to poaching, habitat fragmentation, retaliatory

killing, and a decrease of wild prey species. Obtaining information on

rare and cryptic predators living in remote and rugged terrain is

important for making conservation and management strategies. We used the

Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) ecological niche modeling framework to predict

the potential habitat of snow leopards across the western Himalayan

region, India. The model was developed using 34 spatial species

occurrence points in the western Himalaya, and 26 parameters including,

prey species distribution, temperature, precipitation, land use and land

cover (LULC), slope, aspect, terrain ruggedness and altitude. Thirteen

variables contributed 98.6% towards predicting the distribution of snow

leopards. The area under the curve (AUC) score was high (0.994) for the

training data from our model, which indicates pre- dictive ability of

the model. The model predicted that there was 42432 km2 of potential

habitat for snow leop- ards in the western Himalaya region. Protected

status was available for 11247 km2 (26.5%), but the other 31185 km2

(73.5%) of potential habitat did not have any protected status. Thus,

our approach is useful for predicting the distribution and suitable

habitats and can focus field surveys in selected areas to save

resources, increase survey success, and improve conservation efforts for

snow leopards.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1629  
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Author Rashid, W., Shi, J., Rahim, I. U., Dong, S., Ahmad, L. pdf 
  Title Research trends and management options in human-snow leopard conflict Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication (down) Biological Conservation Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 242 Issue 108413 Pages 1-10  
  Keywords Snow leopards, Systematic review, Compensation, Co-existence, Livestock, Human-wildlife conflict, Mitigation  
  Abstract Conservation of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is challenging because of its threatened status and increase in human-snow leopard conflict (HSC). The area of occupancy of the snow leopard comprises mountainous regions of Asia that are confronted with various environmental pressures including climate change. HSCs have increased with a burgeoning human population and economic activities that enhance competition between human and snow leopard or its preys. Here we systematically review the peer-reviewed literature from 1994 to 2018 in Web of Science, Google Scholar, Science Direct and PubMed (30 articles), to evaluate the current state of scholarship about HSCs and their management. We determine: 1) the spatio-temporal distribution of relevant researches; 2) the methodologies to assess HSCs; 3) and evaluate existing interventions for conflict management; and 4) the potential options for HSC management. The aim of the current study is thus to identify key research gaps and future research requirements. Of the articles in this review, 60% evaluated the mitigation of HSCs, while only 37% provided actionable and decisive results. Compensation programs and livestock management strategies had high success rates for mitigating HSCs through direct or community-managed interventions. Further research is required to evaluate the efficacy of existing HSC mitigation strategies, many of which, while recommended, lack proper support. In spite of the progress made in HSC studies, research is needed to examine ecological and sociocultural context of HSCs. We suggest future work focus on rangeland management for HSC mitigation, thus ultimately fostering a co-existence between human and snow leopard.  
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1716  
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Author Din, J. U., Nawaz, M. A., Norma-Rashid, Y., Ahmad, F., Hussain, K., Ali, H., Adli, D., S., H. url 
  Title Ecosystem Services in a Snow Leopard Landscape: A Comparative Analysis of Two High-elevation National Parks in the Karakoram-Pamir Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication (down) Bio One Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 11-19  
  Keywords ecosystem services; economic value; Karakoram; Pamir; Khunjerab; national park; Qurumbar  
  Abstract The high-elevation mountain ecosystems in the Karakoram and Pamir mountain ranges encompass enchanting landscapes, harbor unique biodiversity, and are home to many indigenous pastoral societies that rely onecosystem services for their survival. However, our understanding of the value of ecosystem services to a household economy is limited. This information is essential in devising sustainable development strategies and thus merits consideration. In this preliminary study, we attempted to assess and compare the value of selected ecosystem Khunjerab and Qurumbar National Parks (KNP and QNP) in the services of the KNP and QNP) in the Karakoram–Pamir in northern Pakistan using market-based and value transfer methods. Our results indicated that the economic benefits derived from the 2 high-elevation protected areas were US$ 4.6 million (QNP) and US$ 3.8 million (KNP) per year, translating into US$ 5955 and US$ 8912 per household per year, respectively. The monetary benefits from provisioning services constituted about 93% in QNP and 48% in KNP, which vividly highlights the prominence of the economic benefits generated from the protected areas for the welfare of disadvantaged communities. Together with the regulatory and cultural services valued

in this study, the perceived economic impact per household per year was 10–15 times higher than the mean household income per year. Considering the limited livelihood means and escalating poverty experienced by buffer zone communities, these values are substantial. We anticipate that communities’ dependency on resources will contribute to increased

degradation of ecosystems. We propose reducing communities’ dependency on natural resources by promoting sustainable alternative livelihood options and recognizing ecosystem services in cost–benefit analyses when formulating future policies.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1631  
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Author Zhang, L., Lian, X., Yang, X url 
  Title Population density of snow leopards (Panthera Uncia) in the Yage Valley Region of the Sanjiangyuan National Park: Conservation Implications and future directions Type Journal Article
  Year 2020 Publication (down) Artic, Antartic and Alpine Research Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 52 Issue 1 Pages 541-550  
  Keywords Snow leopard; population density; camera trapping; Tibetan Plateau; alpine ecosystem  
  Abstract Population-based studies on snow leopard (Panthera uncia) are of theoretical and practical sig- nificance for the conservation of alpine ecosystems, though geographic remoteness and isolation hinder surveys in many promising regions. The Sanjiangyuan National Park on the Tibetan Plateau is acknowledged as a main snow leopard habitat, but most of the region remains unexplored and unknown. We adopted a combined approach of route survey and camera trapping survey to explore the population density of snow leopard in the Yage Valley region of the Sanjiangyuan National Park. Results indicated that (1) large populations of blue sheep contributed to the major food supply for snow leopards, along with diverse prey species as dietary supplementations, and (2) a population density of four to six snow leopards per 100 km2 on the north bank was estimated, and nine to fourteen individuals within the valley core areas were identified. We also argue that under the potential impacts of hydropower dams, this valley ecosystem should be symbolized as a conservation hotspot and therefore merits prioritized conservation. We recommend further surveys combined with novel methods/techniques and advocate a sustainable ecotourism model for the first V-shaped valley along the Yangtze mainstream.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1619  
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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 (down) Animals Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 10 Issue 597 Pages 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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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 1621  
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