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Author Tallian, A., Mattisson, J., Samelius, G., Odden, J., Mishra, C., Linnell, J. D. C., Lkhagvajav, P., Johansson, O.
Title (down) Wild versus domestic prey: Variation in the kill-site behavior of two large felids Type Journal Article
Year 2023 Publication Global Ecology and Conservation Abbreviated Journal
Volume 47 Issue e026750 Pages 1-13
Keywords Eurasian lynx, Handling time, Landscape, Livestock, Predation, Snow leopard
Abstract Livestock depredation is an important source of conflict for many terrestrial large carnivore

species. Understanding the foraging behavior of large carnivores on domestic prey is therefore

important for both mitigating conflict and conserving threatened carnivore populations. Handling

time is an important, albeit often overlooked, component of predatory behavior, as it directly

influences access to food biomass, which can affect predator foraging efficiency and subsequent

kill rates. We used long-term data on snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in Mongolia (Asia) and

Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Norway (Europe) to examine how large carnivore foraging patterns

varied between domestic and wild prey, and how the different landscape characteristics affected

those patterns. Our results suggest handling time was generally shorter for domestic compared to

wild prey. For snow leopards, rugged terrain was linked to increased handling time for larger

prey. For lynx, handling time increased with terrain ruggedness for domestic, but not wild, prey,

and was greater in closed compared to open habitats. There were also other differences in snow

leopard and lynx foraging behavior, e.g., snow leopards also stayed longer at, and remained closer

to, their kill sites than lynx. Shorter handling time suggests that felids may have utilized domestic

prey less effectively than wild prey, i.e., they spent less time consuming their prey. This could a)

result in an energetic or fitness cost related to decreased felid foraging efficiency caused by the

risk of anthropogenic disturbance, or b) exacerbate conflict if reduced handling time associated

with easy prey results in increased livestock depredation.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1737
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Author Suryawanshi, K.R.; Bhatnagar, Y.; Mishra, C.
Title (down) Why should a grazer browse? Livestock impact on winter resource use by bharal Pseudois nayaur Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Oecologia Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 1-10
Keywords browse; livestock; impact; winter; resource; use; bharal; Pseudois; pseudois nayaur; Pseudois-nayaur; nayaur; diet; variation; diets; conservation; Media; study; decline; areas; area; grazing; Pressure; plants; plant; sign; feeding; location; population; structure; populations; using; young; Female; times; High; Competition; species; predators; predator; endangered; snow; snow leopard; snow-leopard; leopard; trans-himalaya; transhimalaya
Abstract Many mammalian herbivores show a temporal diet variation between graminoid-dominated and browse dominated diets. We determined the causes of such a diet shift and its implications for conservation of a medium sized ungulate-the bharal Pseudois nayaur. Past studies show that the bharal diet is dominated by graminoids (>80%) during summer, but the contribution of graminoids declines to about 50% in winter. We tested the predictions generated by two alternative hypotheses explaining the decline: low graminoid availability during winter causes bharal to include browse in their diet; bharal include browse, with relatively higher nutritional quality, in their diet to compensate for the poor quality of graminoids during winter. We measured winter graminoid availability in areas with no livestock grazing, areas with relatively moderate livestock grazing, and those with intense livestock grazing pressures. The chemical composition of plants contributing to the bharal diet was analysed. The bharal diet was quantiWed through signs of feeding on vegetation at feeding locations. Population structures of bharal populations were recorded using a total count method. Graminoid availability was highest in areas without livestock grazing, followed by areas with moderate and intense livestock grazing. The bharal diet was dominated by graminoids (73%) in areas with highest graminoid availability. Graminoid contribution to the bharal diet declined monotonically (50, 36%) with a decline in graminoid availability. Bharal young to female ratio was 3 times higher in areas with high graminoid availability than areas with low graminoid availability. The composition of the bharal winter diet was governed predominantly by the availability of graminoids in the rangelands. Our results suggest that bharal include more browse in their diet during winter due to competition from livestock for graminoids. Since livestock grazing reduces graminoid availability, creation of livestock-free areas is necessary for the conservation of grazing species such as the bharal and its predators including the endangered snow leopard in the Trans-Himalaya.
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Publisher Springer-Verlag Place of Publication Online Editor
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Notes This study was made possible by a grant from the Snow Leopard Network. Additional support was given by the Wildlife Conservation Society-India Program and Nature Conservation Foundation, the Whitley Fund for Nature, the Ford Foundation, and the Nadathur Conservation Trust. Approved no
Call Number SLN @ rana @ 1062 Serial 951
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Author Mishra, C.; Fitzherbert, A.
Title (down) War and wildlife: a post-conflict assessment of Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor Type Journal Article
Year 2004 Publication Oryx Abbreviated Journal
Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 102-105
Keywords Afghanistan; fur trade; human-wildlife conflict; hunting; Lynx; marco polo sheep; snow leopard; Wakhan; wolf; 5270
Abstract Prior to the last two decades of conflict, Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor was considered an important area for conservation of the wildlife of high altitudes. We conducted an assessment of the status of large mammals in Wakhan after 22 years of conflict, and also made a preliminary assessment of wildlife trade

in the markets of Kabul, Faizabad and Ishkashem. The survey confirmed the continued occurrence of at least eight species of large mammals in Wakhan, of which the snow leopard Uncia uncia and Marco Polo sheep Ovis ammon are globally threatened. We found evidence of human-wildlife conflict in Wakhan due to livestock depredation by snow leopard and wolf Canis lupus. Large mammals are hunted for meat, sport, fur, and in retaliation against livestock depredation. The fur trade in Kabul is a threat to the snow leopard, wolf, lynx Lynx lynx and common leopard Panthera pardus.
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Notes Document Type: English Approved no
Call Number SLN @ rana @ 512 Serial 694
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Author Sharma, K., Bayrakcismith, R., Tumursukh, L., Johansson, O., Sevger, P., McCarthy, T., Mishra, C.
Title (down) Vigorous Dynamics Underlie a Stable Population of the Endangered Snow Leopard Panthera uncia in Tost Mountains, South Gobi, Mongolia Type Journal Article
Year 2014 Publication Plos One Abbreviated Journal
Volume 9 Issue 7 Pages
Keywords
Abstract Population monitoring programmes and estimation of vital rates are key to understanding the mechanisms of population growth, decline or stability, and are important for effective conservation action. We report, for the first time, the population trends and vital rates of the endangered snow leopard based on camera trapping over four years in the Tost Mountains, South Gobi, Mongolia. We used robust design multi-season mark-recapture analysis to estimate the trends in abundance, sex ratio, survival probability and the probability of temporary emigration and immigration for adult and young snow leopards. The snow leopard population remained constant over most of the study period, with no apparent growth (l = 1.08+20.25). Comparison of model results with the ‘‘known population’’ of radio-collared snow leopards suggested

high accuracy in our estimates. Although seemingly stable, vigorous underlying dynamics were evident in this population, with the adult sex ratio shifting from being male-biased to female-biased (1.67 to 0.38 males per female) during the study. Adult survival probability was 0.82 (SE+20.08) and that of young was 0.83 (SE+20.15) and 0.77 (SE +20.2) respectively, before and after the age of 2 years. Young snow leopards showed a high probability of temporary emigration and immigration (0.6, SE +20.19 and 0.68, SE +20.32 before and after the age of 2 years) though not the adults (0.02 SE+20.07). While the current female-bias in the population and the number of cubs born each year seemingly render the study population safe, the vigorous dynamics suggests that the situation can change quickly. The reduction in the proportion of

male snow leopards may be indicative of continuing anthropogenic pressures. Our work reiterates the importance of monitoring both the abundance and population dynamics of species for effective conservation.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1416
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Author Murali, R., Lkhagvajav, P., Saeed, U., Kizi, V. A., Nawaz, M. A., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Sharma, K., Mishra, C.
Title (down) VALUATION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN SNOW LEOPARD LANDSCAPES OF ASIA Type Report
Year 2017 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 1-46
Keywords
Abstract Snow leopards occur in Asia�s high mountain ranges of the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Pamir, Tien Shan, Kunlun, Altai and Sayan. In all the 12 countries where they occur, snow leopards face intensifying threats to their survival, including habitat fragmentation and degradation due to increasing human populations, mining and developmental projects, poaching and illegal wildlife trade, weak law enforcement, inadequate involvement of local people in conservation efforts, and depletion of natural prey populations due to hunting by people and overgrazing by livestock.

To address the urgent needs of conservation of the snow leopard and the sustainable development of mountain peoples, the Governments of snow leopard range countries came together and agreed to invest efforts to conserve snow leopards in 23 large landscapes across its range under the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP).

These landscapes where the snow leopards occur are inhabited by agro-pastoral and pastoral peoples who depend on well functioning ecosystems for ecosystem services, i.e., the benefits that humans derive from nature. Many threats that impact snow leopards also impact the well-being of people living in these landscapes. However, till date, there have been no studies that have attempted to quantify peoples� dependence on ecosystem services in snow leopard landscapes, or understand the impacts that alternate land-use decisions such as mining or infrastructure can have on the ecosystem services and on the local people who are dependent on them.

In this report, we provide the first assessment of the economic value of provisioning ecosystem services � the material goods from ecosystems � used by local people in five study sites from four GSLEP landscapes: Spiti Valley and Changtang region of Ladakh in India�s Hemis-Spiti Landscape, Gurez Valley in the Himalayan Landscape of Pakistan, Tost Nature Reserve in the South Gobi Landscape of Mongolia, and the Sarychat region in the Central Tien Shan Landscape of Kyrgyzstan. In study sites that had both pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, we estimated ecosystem services separately for the two production systems.The average value (± SE) of ecosystem services per household amongst the agro-pastoral

communities of Gurez Valley (4125 ± 190 USD/HH/yr) was 2.5 times the average local household income. In the agro-pastoral communities of Spiti Valley (3964 ± 334.8 USD/HH/yr) it was 3.6 times the average local household income, while it was 3.7 times amongst the agro-pastoral communities of Changtang (15083 ± 1656 USD/HH/yr). Amongst the pastoral communities, the value of ecosystem services used by households was several times higher than the average household income: it was 26.1 times amongst the pastoral communities of Changtang (79303 ± 9204 USD HH/yr), 38.7 times among communities in Tost Nature Reserve (150100 ± 13290 USD/HH/yr), and 7.4 times among the pastoral communities of Sarychat (25473 ± 5236 USD/HH/yr). It was lower, although still substantial at 0.6 times, for the downstream agro-pastoral communities living outside the landscape boundary in Sarychat (2094 ± 189 USD/HH/yr).

Our work reveals substantially high levels of dependence of local communities on ecosystem services provided by snow leopard landscapes of Asia. The estimated economic value of provisioning ecosystem services used by human households in these landscapes ranged from 0.6 to up to 40 times the local annual household incomes. This economic support that nature provides people is critical for humanity but remains hidden and unaccounted for. Land use change decisions, especially those that are damaging for nature and biodiversity, must start accounting for the value of ecosystem services in their cost-benefit analyses.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1458
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Author Khanyari, M., Zhumabai uulu, K., Luecke, S., Mishra, C., Suryawanshi, K.
Title (down) Understanding population baselines: status of mountain ungulate populations in the Central Tien Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan Type Journal Article
Year 2020 Publication Mammalia Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 1-8
Keywords conservation; human-use landscapes; hunting concession; mountain ungulates; population baselines; protected areas.
Abstract We assessed the density of argali (Ovis ammon) and ibex

(Capra sibirica) in Sarychat-Ertash Nature Reserve and its neighbouring

Koiluu valley. Sarychat is a protected area, while Koiluu is a human-use

landscape which is a partly licenced hunting concession for mountain

ungulates and has several livestock herders and their permanent

residential structures. Population monitoring of mountain ungulates can

help in setting measurable conservation targets such as appropriate

trophy hunting quotas and to assess habitat suitability for predators

like snow leopards (Panthera uncia). We employed the double-observer

method to survey 573 km2 of mountain ungulate habitat inside Sarychat

and 407 km2 inside Koiluu. The estimated densities of ibex and argali in

Sarychat were 2.26 (95% CI 1.47–3.52) individuals km-2 and 1.54 (95% CI

1.01–2.20) individuals km-2, respectively. Total ungulate density in

Sarychat was 3.80 (95% CI 2.47–5.72) individuals km-2. We did not record

argali in Koiluu, whereas the density of ibex was 0.75 (95% CI

0.50–1.27) individuals km-2. While strictly protected areas can achieve

high densities of mountain ungulates, multi-use areas can harbour

meaningful

though suppressed populations. Conservation of mountain ungulates and

their predators can be enhanced by maintaining Sarychat-like “pristine”

areas interspersed within a matrix of multi-use areas like Koiluu.
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Call Number Serial 1610
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Author Bhatia, S., Suryawanshi, K., Redpath, S., Namgail, S., Mishra, C.
Title (down) Understanding People's Relationship With Wildlife in Trans-Himalayan Folklore. Type Journal Article
Year 2021 Publication Frontiers in Environmental Science Abbreviated Journal
Volume 9 Issue 595169 Pages 1-10
Keywords attitudes, culture, human-wildlife, narrative, stories, storytelling
Abstract People's views and values for wild animals are often a result of their experiences and traditional knowledge. Local folklore represents a resource that can enable an understanding of the nature of human-wildlife interactions, especially the underlying cultural values. Using archival searches and semi-structured interviews, we collected narratives about the ibex (Capra sibirica) (n = 69), and its predators, the wolf (Canis lupus) (n = 52) and the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) (n = 43), in Ladakh, India. We compared these stories to those of a mythical carnivore called seng ge or snow lion (n = 19), frequently referenced in local Tibetan Buddhist folklore and believed to share many of the traits commonly associated with snow leopards (except for livestock depredation). We then categorized the values along social-cultural, ecological and psychological dimensions. We found that the ibex was predominantly associated with utilitarianism and positive symbolism. Both snow leopard and wolf narratives referenced negative affective and negative symbolic values, though more frequently in the case of wolves. Snow leopard narratives largely focused on utilitarian and ecologistic values. In contrast, snow lion narratives were mostly associated with positive symbolism. Our results suggest that especially for snow leopards and wolves, any potentially positive symbolic associations appeared to be overwhelmed by negative sentiments because of their tendency to prey on livestock, unlike in the case of the snow lion. Since these values reflect people's real and multifarious interactions with wildlife, we recommend paying greater attention to understanding the overlaps between natural and cultural heritage conservation to facilitate human-wildlife coexistence.
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Call Number Serial 1632
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Author Murali, R., Redpath, S., Mishra, C.
Title (down) The value of ecosystem services in the high altitude Spiti Valley, Indian Trans-Himalaya Type Journal Article
Year 2017 Publication Elsevier Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue 28 Pages 115-123
Keywords Ecosystem services, Pastoralists, Local communities, Provisioning services Economic valuation, Panthera uncia
Abstract The high mountain ranges of South and Central Asia are increasingly being exposed to large-scale development

projects. These areas are home to traditional pastoralist communities and internationally important

biodiversity including the endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia. Development projects rely on

economic cost-benefit analysis, but the ecosystem services in the high Himalayas are poorly understood

and are rarely accounted for. As a first step to fill this gap, we identified the main ecosystem services used

by local people in the Trans-Himalayan Spiti Valley (7591 km2), a region important for conservation of

snow leopards and high mountain biodiversity, and undertook an economic valuation. Stakeholders identified

a range of services, though these were dominated by provisioning services identified by 90% of

respondents. Only 5.4% of the respondents recognised regulatory services and 4.8% recognised cultural

services. The mean economic value of provisioning services was estimated at US$ 3622 ± 149 HH1

yr1, which was 3.8 times higher than the average annual household income. Our results underscore

the need to account for ecosystem services in the cost-benefit analyses of large-scale development projects

in addition to assessments of their environmental and social impact.


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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1462
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Author Mishra, C.; Allen, P.; McCarthy, T.; Madhusudan, M.D.; Agvaantserengiin, B.; Prins H.
Title (down) The role of incentive programs in conserving the snow leopard Type Miscellaneous
Year 2003 Publication Conservation Biology Abbreviated Journal
Volume 17 Issue Pages 1512-1520
Keywords Central Asia; community; conservation; herder; incentive program; India; livestock; Mongolia; pastoralists; poaching; retaliatory killing; snow leopard; Uncia uncia
Abstract Pastoralists and their livestock share much of the habitat of the snow leopard (Uncia uncia) across south and central Asia. The levels of livestock predation by the snow leopard and other carnivores are high, and retaliatory killing by the herders is a direct threat to carnivore populations. Depletion of wild prey by poaching and competition from livestock also poses an indirect threat to the region's carnivores. Conservationists working in these underdeveloped areas that face serious economic damage from livestock losses have turned to incentive programs to motivate local communities to protect carnivores. We describe a pilot incentive program in India that aims to offset losses due to livestock predation and to enhance wild prey density by creating livestock-free areas on common land. We also describe how income generation from handicrafts in Mongolia is helping curtail poaching and retaliatory killing of snow leopards. However, initiatives to offset the costs of living with carnivores and to make conservation beneficial to affected people have thus far been small, isolated, and heavily subsidized. Making these initiatives more comprehensive, expanding their coverage, and internalizing their costs are future challenged for the conservation of large carnivores such as the snow leopard.
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Call Number SLN @ rana @ 904 Serial 693
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Author Tumursukh, L., Suryawanshi, K. R., Mishra, C., McCarthy, T. M., Boldgiv, B.
Title (down) Status of the mountain ungulate prey of the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia in the Tost Local Protected Area, South Gobi, Mongolia Type Journal Article
Year 2015 Publication Oryx Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 1-6
Keywords Argali, Central Asia, double-observer survey, ibex, Panthera uncia, snow leopard, ungulate prey
Abstract The availability of wild prey is a critical predictor of carnivore density. However, few conservation pro- grammes have focused on the estimation and monitoring of wild ungulate populations and their trends, especially in the remote mountains of Central Asia. We conducted double-observer surveys to estimate the populations of ibex Capra sibirica and argali Ovis ammon in the mountain- ous regions of Tost Local Protected Area, South Gobi prov- ince, Mongolia, which is being considered for designation as a Nature Reserve. We also conducted demographic surveys of the more abundant ibex to examine their sex-ratio and the survival of young during –. The estimated ibex population remained stable in  and  and the es- timated argali population increased from  in  to  in . The biomass of wild ungulates was c. % that of live- stock. Mortality in young ibex appeared to increase after weaning, at the age of  months. We estimated the popula- tion of wild ungulates was sufficient to support – adult snow leopards Panthera uncia. The adult snow leopard population in our study area during –, estimated independently using camera-trap-based mark–recapture methods, was –. Based on our results we identify the Tost Local Protected Area as an important habitat for the conservation of these ungulates and their predator, the Endangered snow leopard, and recommend elevation of its status to a Nature Reserve.
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Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1425
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