Abstract: Snow leopard distribution knowledge is a critical conservation need. During the 2003 Snow Leopard Symposium, a pressing demand for a comprehensive collection of observation data became apparent. Expanding the knowledge of population distribution will help identify areas for conservation and add validity to the potential range map developed by Hunter and Jackson (1997). An equally strong need is an analysis of the extent of protected-area coverage of snow leopard habitat. Another crucial requirement is accurate representation and immediate availability of data to researchers throughout the range.
This project was developed in cooperation with the International Snow Leopard Trust, the Snow Leopard Conservancy, and International Center of Applied Ecology. It is also supported by the Snow Leopard Network, an affiliation of individuals working together to establish effective conservation of the snow leopard throughout Inner Asia. The specific goals of this project are to collect and graphically depict existent knowledge of snow leopard distribution and identify areas lacking data; evaluate the potential range map; assess protected areas to see if snow leopards occur indiscriminately; and produce an internet geographical database and interactive mapping service for research.
This thesis validates the potential range map created by Jackson and Hunter (1997). The majority of sightings (88%) fall within the modeled potential range. This suggests that the map is accurate in representing habitat that supports snow leopards. The thesis also highlights varying degrees of support for protected areas. Most of the potential range lies outside of protected areas. Consequently, most countries contain less than 47 percent of their sightings within protected area boundaries.
This thesis organized and analyzed existing snow leopard data in a geodatabase to evaluate the potential range map and effectiveness of protected areas throughout the range. The geodatabase and internet mapping service provides a standardized method of data exchange and communication among researchers. This is a small step forward in the conservation of the snow leopard, but creates a necessary foundation for future collaborative data exchange projects to follow. The technologies and methodologies used here should be expanded to meet the individual needs of projects.

Abstract: Mountain ungulates around the world have been threatened by illegal hunting, habitat modification, increased livestock grazing, disease and development. Mountain ungulates play an important functional role in grasslands as primary consumers and as prey for wild carnivores, and monitoring of their populations is important for conservation purposes. However, most of the several currently available methods of estimating wild ungulate abundance are either difficult to implement or too expensive for mountainous terrain. A rigorous method of sampling ungulate abundance in mountainous areas that can allow for some measure of sampling error is therefore much needed. To this end, we used a combination of field data and computer simulations to test the critical assumptions associated with double-observer technique based on capture-recapture theory. The technique was modified and adapted to estimate the populations of bharal (Pseudois nayaur) and ibex (Capra sibirica) at five different sites. Conducting the two double-observer surveys simultaneously led to underestimation of the population by 15%. We therefore recommend separating the surveys in space or time.