Abstract: The Himalayan mountain range extends in a broad arc from Pakistan through India, Nepal, Bhutan and China. With elevations ranging from approximately 300 meters in the plains at the base of the mountains to the peaks well over 8,000 meters (Mt Everest 8,848 m). The Himalaya is the tallest and most complex of the world mountain regions (Striffler, 1985). The Himalaya can be divided into three physiographic zones. These includes the lower foothills usually describe as sub-Himalaya and represented by the Siwalik Hills which extend along most of the Himalaya with elevation seldom exceeding 1000 m. The second zone is the middle Himalaya also called Outer Himalaya or the lesser Himalaya with elevation ranges from 600 meters to over 3000 m. Interspersed within the middle zone are occasional larger to small valleys and river basins. The third zone is the great Himalaya or Inner Himalaya zone that covers higher mountain areas, the snow clad peaks and trans-Himalayan harsh climatic dry areas (HMG Nepal, 1977; Kaith, 1960). The glaciers and natural springs have drained the whole area and created a vast area as wetlands supplemented by different lake system in different elevations.

Abstract: China, the world's most populous country, also contains the largest number of Snow Leopards of any country in the world. But the survey and research of the snow leopard had been very little for the second half of the 20th century. Until recent years, the members of Xinjiang Snow Leopards Group (XSLG/SLT/XFC) , the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences have been tracking down the solitary animal. The journal reporter does a face-to-face interview with professor Ma Ming who is a main responsible expert of the survey team. By the account of such conversation, we learn the achievements, advances and difficulty of research of snow leopards in the field, Tianshan and Kunlun, Xinjiang, the far west China, and we also know that why the team adopt the infrared camera to capture the animals. Last but not least professor talked about the survival menace faced by the Snow Leopards in Xinjiang.

Abstract: The secretive nature of snow leopards (Uncia uncia) makes them difficult to monitor, yet conservation efforts require accurate and precise methods to estimate abundance. We assessed accuracy of Snow Leopard Information Management System (SLIMS) sign surveys by comparing them with 4 methods for estimating snow leopard abundance: predator:prey biomass ratios, capture-recapture density estimation, photo-capture rate, and individual identification through genetic analysis. We recorded snow leopard sign during standardized surveys in the SaryChat Zapovednik, the Jangart hunting reserve, and the Tomur Strictly Protected Area, in the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan and China. During June-December 2005, adjusted sign averaged 46.3 (SaryChat), 94.6 (Jangart), and 150.8 (Tomur) occurrences/km. We used
counts of ibex (Capra ibex) and argali (Ovis ammon) to estimate available prey biomass and subsequent potential snow leopard densities of 8.7 (SaryChat), 1.0 (Jangart), and 1.1 (Tomur) snow leopards/100 km2. Photo capture-recapture density estimates were 0.15 (n = 1 identified individual/1 photo), 0.87 (n = 4/13), and 0.74 (n = 5/6) individuals/100 km2 in SaryChat, Jangart, and Tomur, respectively. Photo-capture rates
(photos/100 trap-nights) were 0.09 (SaryChat), 0.93 (Jangart), and 2.37 (Tomur). Genetic analysis of snow leopard fecal samples provided minimum population sizes of 3 (SaryChat), 5 (Jangart), and 9 (Tomur) snow leopards. These results suggest SLIMS sign surveys may be affected by observer bias and environmental variance. However, when such bias and variation are accounted for, sign surveys indicate relative abundances similar to photo rates and genetic individual identification results. Density or abundance estimates based on capture-recapture or ungulate biomass did not agree with other indices of abundance. Confidence in estimated densities, or even detection of significant changes in abundance of snow leopard, will require more effort and better documentation.

Abstract: The suggestion in the early 20th century that top predators were a necessary component of ecosystems because they hold herbivore populations in check and promote biodiversity was at Wrst accepted and then largely rejected. With the advent of Evolutionary Ecology and a more full appreciation of direct and indirect effects of top predators, this role of top predators is again gaining acceptance. The previous views were predicated upon lethal effects of predators but largely overlooked their non-lethal effects. We suggest that
conceptual advances coupled with an increased use of experiments have convincingly demonstrated that prey experience costs that transcend the obvious cost of death. Prey species use adaptive behaviours to avoid predators, and these behaviours are not cost-free. With predation risk, prey species greatly restrict their use of available habitats and consumption of available food resources. Effects of top predators consequently cascade down to the trophic levels below them. Top predators, the biggies, are thus both the targets of and the means for conservation at the landscape scale.

Abstract: This study was part of an expedition to the Altai mountains in the Kosh Agach region of the Altai Republic, run by Biosphere Expeditions from 8 July to 17 August 2007. The aim was to continue a survey of snow leopard (Uncia uncia) in this area, as well as surveying the snow leopard's primary prey species, argali (Ovis ammon) and Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), together with secondary prey species.
Using the Snow Leopard Information Management System (SLIMS) developed by the International Snow Leopard Trust (ISLT), presence/absence surveys (SLIMS form 1) of snow leopard and prey species were conducted throughout the study period across the entire survey area (approximately 200 square kilometers). In 2007 surveys were extended to areas away from the Tapduair massif site to the valley and surrounding ridges of Irbistu mountain. Interviews with local, semi-nomadic herders also formed an important part of the research procedure. The expedition also collected data for extended mammal, bird and plant inventories.
The decrease in numbers of the primary prey species observed recently makes it very likely that food availability is not in favour of the snow leopard in the study area. This is supported by the fact that in 2006 there were no records of snow leopard sign in the core area and in 2007 only a few were found.
Nevertheless, the study area retains its importance as a habitat for snow leopard and as a corridor for snow leopard dispersal. Unfortunately, privatisation of formerly common land is on the increase as is a lack of respect traditional land management practices, so the survey area urgently needs protection, but involving the local community and raising public awareness is vital if conservation initiatives are to succeed.