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Author Berger, J., Buuveibaatar, B., Mishra, C. url 
  Title Globalization of the Cashmere Market and the Decline of Large Mammals in Central Asia Type Journal Article
  Year Publication (down) Conservation Biology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 679-689  
  Keywords fashion, herders, India, Mongolia, saiga, trade  
  Abstract As drivers of terrestrial ecosystems, humans have replaced large carnivores in most areas, and

human influence not only exerts striking ecological pressures on biodiversity at local scales but also has

indirect effects in distant corners of the world. We suggest that the multibillion dollar cashmere industry

creates economic motivations that link western fashion preferences for cashmere to land use in Central

Asia. This penchant for stylish clothing, in turn, encourages herders to increase livestock production which

affects persistence of over 6 endangered large mammals in these remote, arid ecosystems. We hypothesized

that global trade in cashmere has strong negative effects on native large mammals of deserts and grassland

where cashmere-producing goats are raised. We used time series data, ecological snapshots of the biomass

of native and domestic ungulates, and ecologically and behaviorally based fieldwork to test our hypothesis.

In Mongolia increases in domestic goat production were associated with a 3-fold increase in local profits for

herders coexisting with endangered saiga (Saiga tatarica). That increasing domestic grazing pressure carries

fitness consequences was inferred on the basis of an approximately 4-fold difference in juvenile recruitment among blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) in trans-Himalayan India. Across 7 study areas in Mongolia, India, and China’s Tibetan Plateau, native ungulate biomass is now <5% that of domestic species. Such trends suggest ecosystem degradation and decreased capacity for the persistence of native species, including at least 8 Asian endemic species: saiga, chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni), Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus), snow leopard (Panthera uncia), khulan (Equus hemionus), kiang (E. kiang), takhi (E. przewalski), and wild yak (Bos mutus). Our results suggest striking yet indirect and unintended actions that link trophic-level effects to markets induced by the trade for cashmere.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1398  
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Author Bagchi, S., Mishra, C., Bhatnagar, Y.V., McCarthy, T. url 
  Title Out of Steppe? Pastoralism and ibex conservation in Spiti. Type Report
  Year 2002 Publication (down) CERC Technical Report No. 7 Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords steppe, snow leopard, pastoral, conservation, ibex, Spiti, India  
  Abstract  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Nature Conservation Foundation, India; Wildlife Institute of India, International Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rana @ Serial 1274  
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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 Johansson, O., McCarthy, T., Samelius, G., Andren, H., Tumursukh, L., Mishra, C. url 
  Title Snow leopard predation in a livestock dominated landscape in Mongolia Type Journal Article
  Year 2015 Publication (down) Biological Conservation Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 184 Issue Pages 251-258  
  Keywords Gobi desert, GPS collar, Kill rate, Panthera uncial, Prey choice, Wildlife conflict  
  Abstract Livestock predation is an important cause of endangerment of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) across

its range. Yet, detailed information on individual and spatio-temporal variation in predation patterns of

snow leopards and their kill rates of livestock and wild ungulates are lacking.

We collared 19 snow leopards in the Tost Mountains, Mongolia, and searched clusters of GPS positions

to identify prey remains and estimate kill rate and prey choice.

Snow leopards killed, on average, one ungulate every 8 days, which included more wild prey (73%) than

livestock (27%), despite livestock abundance being at least one order of magnitude higher. Predation on

herded livestock occurred mainly on stragglers and in rugged areas where animals are out of sight of herders.

The two wild ungulates, ibex (Capra ibex) and argali (Ovis ammon), were killed in proportion to their

relative abundance. Predation patterns changed with spatial (wild ungulates) and seasonal (livestock)

changes in prey abundance. Adult male snow leopards killed larger prey and 2–6 times more livestock

compared to females and young males. Kill rates were considerably higher than previous scat-based estimates, and kill rates of females were higher than kill rates of males. We suggest that (i) snow leopards

prey largely on wild ungulates and kill livestock opportunistically, (ii) retaliatory killing by livestock herders

is likely to cause greater mortality of adult male snow leopards compared to females and young

males, and (iii) total off-take of prey by a snow leopard population is likely to be much higher than previous

estimates suggest.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1420  
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Author Li, J., Weckworth, B. V., McCarthy, T. M., Liang, X., Liu, Y., Xing, R., Li, D., Zhang, Y., Xue, Y., Jackson, R., Xiao, L., Cheng, C., Li, S., Xu, F., Ma, M., Yang, X., Diao, K., Gao, Y., Song, D., Nowell, K., He, B., Li, Y., McCarthy, K., Paltsyn, M. Y., Sharma, K., Mishra, C., Schaller, G. B., Lu, Z., Beissinger, S. R. url 
  Title Defining priorities for global snow leopard conservation landscapes Type Journal Article
  Year 2019 Publication (down) Biological Conservation Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 241 Issue 108387 Pages 1-10  
  Keywords Panthera uncia, Conservation prioritization, Landscape Conservation Unit, Connectivity, Linkage  
  Abstract The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is an apex predator on the Tibetan Plateau and in the surrounding mountain ranges. It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN's Red List. The large home range and low population densities of this species mandate range-wide conservation prioritization. Two efforts for range-wide snow leopard conservation planning have been conducted based on expert opinion, but both were constrained by limited knowledge and the difficulty of evaluating complex processes, such as connectivity across large landscapes. Here, we compile > 6000 snow leopard occurrence records from across its range and corresponding environmental covariates to build a model of global snow leopard habitat suitability. Using spatial prioritization tools, we identi!ed seven large continuous habitat patches as global snow leopard Landscape Conservation Units (LCUs). Each LCU faces differing threat levels from poaching, anthropogenic development, and climate change. We identi!ed ten po- tential inter-LCU linkages, and centrality analysis indicated that Tianshan-Pamir-Hindu Kush-Karakorum, Altai, and the linkage between them play a critical role in maintaining the global snow leopard habitat connectivity.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1490  
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Author Johansson, O., Rauset, G. R., Samelius, G., McCarthy, T., Andren, H., Tumursukh, L., Mishra, C. url 
  Title Land sharing is essential for snow leopard conservation Type Journal Article
  Year 2016 Publication (down) Biological Conservation Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue 203 Pages 1-7  
  Keywords Home range, LoCoH, Mongolia, Panthera uncial, Protected areas, Land sparing  
  Abstract Conserving large carnivores in an increasingly crowded planet raises difficult challenges. A recurring debate is whether large carnivores can be conserved in human used landscapes (land sharing) or whether they require specially designated areas (land sparing). Here we show that 40% of the 170 protected areas in the global range of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) are smaller than the home range of a single adult male and only 4– 13% are large enough for a 90% probability of containing 15 or more adult females. We used data from 16 snow leopards equipped with GPS collars in the Tost Mountains of South Gobi, Mongolia, to calculate home range size and overlap using three different estimators: minimum convex polygons (MCP), kernel utility distributions (Kernel), and local convex hulls (LoCoH). Local convex hull home ranges were smaller and included lower proportions of unused habitats compared to home ranges based on minimum convex polygons and Kernels. Intra-sexual home range overlapwas low, especially for adult males, suggesting that snowleopards are territorial. Mean home range size based on the LoCoH estimates was 207 km2 ± 63 SD for adult males and 124 km2 ± 41 SD for adult females. Our estimates were 6–44 times larger than earlier estimates based on VHF technology when comparing similar estimators, i.e. MCP. Our study illustrates that protected areas alone will not be able to conserve predatorswith large home ranges and conservationists and managers should not restrict their efforts to land sparing.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1446  
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Author Li, J., McCarthy, T. M., Wang, H., Weckworth, B. V., Shaller, G. B., Mishra, C., Lu, Z., Beissinger, S. R url 
  Title Climate refugia of snow leopards in High Asia Type Journal Article
  Year 2016 Publication (down) Biological Conservation Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue 203 Pages 188-196  
  Keywords Snow leopard, Habitat, Climate change, Refugia, High Asia, Conservation  
  Abstract Rapidwarming in High Asia is threatening its unique ecosystemand endemic species, especially the endangered

snow leopard (Panthera uncia). Snow leopards inhabit the alpine zone between snow line and tree line, which

contracts and expands greatly during glacier-interglacial cycles. Here we assess impacts of climate change on

global snow leopard habitat from the last glacial maximum (LGM; 21 kyr ago) to the late 21st century. Based

on occurrence records of snow leopards collected across all snow leopard range countries from 1983 to 2015,

we built a snow leopard habitat model using the maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt 3.3.3k). Then we

projected this model into LGM, mid-Holocene and 2070. Analysis of snow leopard habitat map from LGM to

2070 indicates that three large patches of stable habitat have persisted from the LGM to present in the Altai,

Qilian, and Tian Shan-Pamir-Hindu Kush-Karakoram mountain ranges, and are projected to persist through the

late 21st century. These climatically suitable areas account for about 35% of the snow leopard's current extent,

are large enough to support viable populations, and should function as refugia for snow leopards to survive

through both cold and warm periods. Existence of these refugia is largely due to the unique mountain environment

in High Asia, which maintains a relatively constant arid or semi-arid climate. However, habitat loss leading

to fragmentation in the Himalaya and Hengduan Mountains, as well as increasing human activities, will present

conservation challenges for snow leopards and other sympatric species.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1449  
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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 (down) Biological Conservatio Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue 190 Pages 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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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1426  
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Author Xiao, L., Hua, F., Knops, J. M. H., Zhao, X., Mishra, C., Lovari, S., Alexander, J. S., Weckworth, B., Lu, Z. pdf 
  Title Spatial separation of prey from livestock facilitates coexistence of a specialized large carnivore with human land use. Type Journal Article
  Year 2022 Publication (down) Animal Conservation Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1 - 10  
  Keywords large carnivore; coexistence; prey; niche separation; land use; livestock; human– wildlife conflict; snow leopard.  
  Abstract There is an increasing emphasis in conservation strategies for large carnivores on facilitating their coexistence with humans. Justification for coexistence strategies should be based on a quantitative assessment of currently remaining large carnivores in human-dominated landscapes. An essential part of a carnivore’s coexistence strategy has to rely on its prey. In this research, we studied snow leopards Panthera uncia whose habitat mainly comprises human-dominated, unprotected areas, to understand how a large carnivore and its primary prey, the bharal Pseudois nayaur, could coexist with human land use activities in a large proportion of its range. Using a combination of livestock census, camera trapping and wildlife surveys, across a broad gradient of livestock grazing intensity in a 363 000 km2 landscape on the Tibetan Plateau, we found no evidence of livestock grazing impacts on snow leopard habitat use, bharal density and spatial distribution, even though livestock density was 13 times higher than bharal density. Bharal were found to prefer utilizing more rugged habitats at higher elevations with lower grass forage conditions, whereas livestock dominated in flat valleys at lower elevations with higher productivity, especially during the resource-scarce season. These findings suggest that the spatial niche separation between bharal and livestock, together with snow leopards’ specialized bharal diet, minimized conflicts and allowed snow leopards and bharal to coexist in landscapes dominated by livestock grazing. In recent years, reduced hunting and nomadic herder’s lifestyle changes towards permanent residence may have further reinforced this spatial separation. Our results indicated that, for developing conservation strategies for large carnivores, the niche of their prey in relation to human land-use is a key variable that needs to be evaluated.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1678  
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Author Bagchi, S.; Mishra, C.; Bhatnagar, Y. url 
  Title Conflicts between traditional pastoralism and conservation of Himalayan ibex (Capra sibirica) in the Trans-Himalayan mountains Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication (down) Animal Conservation Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 7 Issue Pages 121-128  
  Keywords conflicts; traditional pastoralism; himalayan ibex; ibex; capra sibirica; trans-himalayan mountains; pin valley national park; spiti region; non-metric multidimensional scaling; snow leopard; wolf; wild dog; Lynx; wild ass; Tibetan argali; Tibetan antelope; Tibetan gazelle; urial; bharal; Pin River; pin valley; Parahio; goat; sheep; Cattle; horses; yaks; donkeys; diet; free-ranging horses; herded horses; grazing; 5290  
  Abstract There is recent evidence to suggest that domestic livestock deplete the density and diversity of wild herbivores in the cold deserts of the Trans-Himalaya by imposing resource limitations. To ascertain the degree and nature of threats faced by Himalayan ibex (Capra sibirica) from seven livestock species, we studied their resource use patterns over space, habitat and food dimensions in the pastures of Pin Valley National Park in the Spiti region of the Indian Himalaya. Species diet profiles were obtained by direct observations. We assessed the similarity in habitat use and diets of ibex and livestock using Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling. We estimated the influence of the spatial distribution of livestock on habitat and diet choice of ibex by examining their co-occurrence patterns in cells overlaid on the pastures. The observed co-occurrence of ibex and livestock in cells was compared with null-models generated through Monte Carlo simulations. The results suggest that goats and sheep impose resource limitations on ibex and exclude them from certain pastures. In the remaining suitable habitat, ibex share forage with horses. Ibex remained relatively unaffected by other livestock such as yaks, donkeys and cattle. However, most livestock removed large amounts of forage from the pastures (nearly 250 kg of dry matter/day by certain species), thereby reducing forage availability for ibex. Pertinent conservation issues are discussed in the light of multiple-use of parks and current socio-economic transitions in the region, which call for integrating social and ecological feedback into management planning.  
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  Notes Document Type: English Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rana @ 514 Serial 106  
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