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Adhikari, J. N. (2004). Ecological Study of the Snow leopard Uncia uncia (Schreber, 1778) in Langtang National Park, Nepal. Master's thesis, , Kathmandu, Nepal.
Abstract: Nepal is a country of great natural beauty and of a rich cultural heritage. Nepal has always been a source of great attraction for her beautiful gifts mountains, landscapes, lakes, waterfalls, hillsides and green villages serrated in the form of an endless series of terraces. The entire northern border has silvery peaks of Himalayas and the country is the home of perpetual snow (Majupuria and Majupuria 1999) while southern flank is green mountains of Mahabharata with different size valleys and river duns. Even further south lays fragile lower mountains of Churiya and a little Bhavar and Tarai flat land adjoining to India.
Nepal, a country having peculiar diverse fauna and flora lies between China on the north and India on the east, west and south. It stands on latitude 26°22' to 30°27' N north and its longitude is between 80°4' to 88°12'E east. Its altitude varies from 60 – 220 m in the south rising to north up to world highest peak of Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) 8848 m. Nepal covers of 141,577 sq km land mass with a mean breadth of 200 km provides an opportunity of diverse climate zones from subtropical to nival with sharp microclimatic condition due to its topography. Within this small area, the country has all possible landform features of the earth except the volcanic and coral islands and marine (Sharma 1999). The country experience difference in climate, wild flora and fauna as variation bestowed to physiographic condition.
Nepal lies at the transition between the Palearctic and Indo-Malayan biogeographical realms that contributed a large biological diversity in the country. More than 144 species of spiders, 5052 species of insects, 635 species of butterflies, 2,253 species of moths are on the record. The vertebrates fauna also in diverse form; 184 species of fishes (31 families and 11 orders); 43 species of amphibians (one salamander, four toads and 38 frogs Species); 100 species of reptiles (24 lizards, 4 turtle, two crocodiles and 60 snakes species); 861 species of birds (18 orders); 181 species of mammals (12 orders and 39 families) (BPP 1995 (h), Chaudhary 1998, Majupuria and Majupuria 1998, Shrestha 2003).
There are 16 protected areas in Nepal and among them 3 conservation areas and 5 National Parks lies on northern mountainous zone. Langtang National Park (LNP) is in the central Himalayan region of Nepal, 132 km north of the capital, Kathmandu, bordering, in the northeast, Tibet autonomous region of China. Langtang Lirung (7,245m) is the highest point in the park while lowest elevations drop to about 1,000m on the banks of the BhoteKoshi-Trisuli River. LNP is the second largest mountain National Park of Nepal, which covers 1710 km2 in three districts: Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk of Bagmati zone in Nepal. LNP recorded 46 species of mammals including those typical of the area, such as pika, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan Thar, leopard, ghoral, serow, snow leopard, clouded leopard, musk deer and three species of monkeys; Rhesus monkeys, hanuman langur and Assamese monkeys (Chalise 2003). Besides above, 345 species of Birds, 11 species of Herpetofauna, 30 species of fishes, 58 species of butterflies and 10 species of spiders are also recorded (BPP 1995, Khatiwada 2002). My study is focused on one of rarest and protected mountain species, the Snow Leopard.
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Abdusaljamov I.A., M. S. R. (2001). Conservation strategy of rare and endanger vertebrate species of Tajikistan republic. Bulletin of Academy of Sciences of Republic Tajikistan, 2(143), 40–48.
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Kashkarov, E. (2017). ZOOGEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERIES IN WESTERN BERINGIA.208–217.
Abstract: Among zoogeographical discoveries of the frontier of XXI century there is nothing more interesting
than discoveries of Rodion Sivolobov in Western Beringia. Beringia has surprised us by
paleontological discoveries many centuries ago, and also surprised by modern one. Somehow they
came out of attention of all International environmental foundations and Academies of the world, as
if on purpose to show their professional incompetence. It is the only way to describe the
organization, not to notice the appearance of such big cats as the Snow leopard and Amur tiger for
5,000 kilometers from the border of main range, as well as large Pleistocene relict � the Irkuyembear.
All three endangered species of mammals found by Sivolobov in Koryakia and Chukotka, and
for the snow leopard he took the world's first photo in Beringia.
New facts suggests two things: (1) the ancient refuges of big cats locate to Koryakia and
Chukotka much closer of main ranges, (2) global warming, changing natural environment on the
waves of hundred-year rhythms, periodically pushing irbis and tiger on the ways of ancient
Beringian migrations stored in their genetic memories. Irkuyem is a contemporary of the mammoth.
209
Unlike it, this bear lived up to our days, but remained undetected even by the large “mammoths” of
science.
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Li, J., Lu, Z. (2014). Snow Leopard poaching and trade in China 2000- 2013. Biological Conservation, (176), 207–211.
Abstract: The snow leopard is a flagship species of the alpine ecosystem in the Central Asia, with China comprising
nearly 60% of the habitat and population. It was listed as endangered by IUCN and included in Appendix I
of CITES in the 1970s. Poaching for its fur and bones is a significant and increasing threat to snow leopards
globally. However, little detailed information is available on snow leopard poaching in China. Here,
we collected all reported cases of snow leopard poaching and trade in China 2000–2013. We found that
snow leopard parts were mainly traded in the major cities within their range provinces, but also began to
emerge in a few coastal cities after 2010. Household interviews in the Sanjiangyuan Region in Qinghai
Province showed that in this sub region alone, 11 snow leopards were killed annually, accounting for
about 1.2% of the estimated snow leopard population there.
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Solari, K. A., Morgan, S., Poyarkov, A. D., Weckworth, B., Samelius, G., Sharma, K., Ostrowski, S., Ramakrishnan, U., Kubanychbekov, Z., Kachel, S., Johansson, O., Lkhagvajav, P., Hemmingmoore, H., Alexandrov, D. Y., Bayaraa, M., Grachev, A., Korablev, M. P., Hernandez-Blanco, J. A., Munkhtsog, B., Rosenbaum, B., Rozhnov, V. V., Rajabi, A. M., Noori, H., Armstrong, E. E., Petrov, D. A. (2023). Extreme in Every Way: Exceedingly Low Genetic Diversity in Snow Leopards Due to Persistently Small Population Size. bioRxiv, , 1–24.
Abstract: Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) serve as an umbrella species whose conservation benefits their high-elevation Asian habitat. Their numbers are believed to be in decline due to numerous Anthropogenic threats; however, their conservation is hindered by numerous knowledge gaps. They are the least studied genetically of all big cat species and little is known about their historic population size and range, current population trends, or connectivity across their range. Here, we use whole genome sequencing data for 41 snow leopards (37 newly sequenced) to assess population connectivity, historic population size, and current levels of genetic diversity. Among our samples, we find evidence of a primary genetic divide between the northern and southern part of the range around the Dzungarian Basin and a secondary divide south of Kyrgyzstan around the Taklamakan Desert. However, we find evidence of gene flow, suggesting that barriers between these groups are permeable. Perhaps most noteworthy, we find that snow leopards have the lowest genetic diversity of any big cat species, likely due to a persistently small population size throughout their evolutionary history. Without a large population size or ample standing genetic variation to help buffer them from any forthcoming Anthropogenic challenges, snow leopard persistence may be more tenuous than currently appreciated.
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Schutgens, M. G., Hanson, J. H., Baral, N., Ale, S. B. (2018). Visitors’ willingness to pay for snow leopard Panthera uncia conservation in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. Oryx, , 1–10.
Abstract: The Vulnerable snow leopard Panthera uncia experiences
persecution across its habitat in Central Asia, particularly
from herders because of livestock losses. Given the
popularity of snow leopards worldwide, transferring some
of the value attributed by the international community to
these predators may secure funds and support for their conservation.
We administered contingent valuation surveys to
 international visitors to the Annapurna Conservation
Area, Nepal, between May and June , to determine
their willingness to pay a fee to support the implementation
of a Snow Leopard Conservation Action Plan. Of the %of
visitors who stated they would pay a snow leopard conservation
fee in addition to the existing entry fee, the mean
amount that they were willing to pay was USD  per trip.
The logit regression model showed that the bid amount, the
level of support for implementing the Action Plan, and the
number of days spent in the Conservation Area were significant
predictors of visitors’ willingness to pay. The main reasons
stated by visitors for their willingness to pay were a
desire to protect the environment and an affordable fee. A
major reason for visitors’ unwillingness to pay was that
the proposed conservation fee was too expensive for them.
This study represents the first application of economic valuation
to snow leopards, and is relevant to the conservation of
threatened species in the Annapurna Conservation Area
and elsewhere.
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test. (2014). test.
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Nawaz, M. A., Khan, B. U., Mahmood, A., Younas, M., Din, J. U, Sutherland, C. (2021). An empirical demonstration of the effect of study design on density estimations. Nature, 11(13104), 1–9.
Abstract: The simultaneous development of technology (e.g. camera traps) and statistical methods, particularly spatially capture–recapture (SCR), has improved monitoring of large mammals in recent years. SCR estimates are known to be sensitive to sampling design, yet existing recommendations about trap spacing and coverage are often not achieved, particularly for sampling wide-ranging and rare species in landscapes that allow for limited accessibility. Consequently, most camera trap studies on large wide-ranging carnivores relies on convenience or judgmental sampling, and often yields compromised results. This study attempts to highlight the importance of carefully considered sampling design for large carnivores that, because of low densities and elusive behavior, are challenging to monitor. As a motivating example, we use two years of snow leopard camera trapping data from the same areas in the high mountains of Pakistan but with vastly different camera configurations, to demonstrate that estimates of density and space use are indeed sensitive to the trapping array. A compact design, one in which cameras were placed much closer together than generally recommended and therefore have lower spatial coverage, resulted in fewer individuals observed, but more recaptures, and estimates of density and space use were inconsistent with expectations for the region. In contrast, a diffuse design, one with larger spacing and spatial coverage and more consistent with general recommendations, detected more individuals, had fewer recaptures, but generated estimates of density and space use that were in line with expectations. Researchers often opt for compact camera configurations while monitoring wide-ranging and rare species, in an attempt to maximize the encounter probabilities. We empirically demonstrate the potential for biases when sampling a small area approximately the size of a single home range—this arises from exposing fewer individuals than deemed sufficient for estimation. The smaller trapping array may also underestimate density by significantly inflating
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Salvatori, M., Tenan, S., Oberosler, V., Augugliaro, C., Christe, P., Groff, C., Krofel, M., Zimmermann, F., Rovero, F. (2021). Co-occurrence of snow leopard, wolf and Siberian ibex under livestock encroachment into protected areas across the Mongolian Altai. Biological Conservatio, 261(109294), 1–14.
Abstract: In countries such as Mongolia, where globalization of the cashmere market has spurred herders to massively increase their livestock numbers, an important conservation concern is the effect of livestock encroachment on wildlife. This is especially important inside protected areas (PAs), which often represent the last refugia for threatened large mammals. We used camera-traps to sample four areas with different protection status across the Mongolian Altai Mountains, and targeted a predator-prey system composed of livestock, one large herbivore, the Siberian ibex, and two large carnivores, the snow leopard and the wolf. To determine the effect of livestock on habitat use by the wild species and their spatio-temporal co-occurrence we applied an occupancy framework explicitly developed for modelling interacting species. We recorded a widespread presence of domestic animals in the PAs, and observed avoidance of sites used by livestock by snow leopard and ibex, while wolves tended to co-occur with it. Snow leopard and ibex showed clear mutual co-occurrence, indicating a tight predator-prey relationship. Results provide evidence that, at the scale of sites sampled primarily to maximise snow leopard detections, grazing livestock interferes with wild species by inducing avoidance in snow leopards, and attraction in wolves. We suggest that (1) PAs management should enforce real grazing limitations on the ground, especially in the core areas of the parks; (2) new policies incorporating wildlife conservation into government subsidies to pastoralists should be envisaged, to prevent increasing displacement of snow leopards and ibex; (3) as wolves co- occurred with livestock, with the potential for human-wildlife conflicts, we encourage the use of a set of prevention techniques to mitigate livestock depredation.
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Rode, J., Lambert, C., Marescot, L., Chaix, B., Beesau, J., Bastian, S., Kyrbashev, J., Cabanat, A.L. (2021). Population monitoring of snow leopards using camera trapping in Naryn State Nature Reserve, Kyrgyzstan, between 2016 and 2019. Global Ecology and Conservation, 31(e01850), 1–6.
Abstract: Four field seasons of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) camera trapping inside Naryn State Nature Reserve, Kyrgyzstan, performed thanks to citizen science expeditions, allowed detecting a minimal population of five adults, caught every year with an equilibrated sex ratio (1.5:1) and reproduction: five cubs or subadults have been identified from three litters of two different females. Crossings were observed one to three times a year, in front of most camera traps, and several times a month in front of one of them. Overlap of adults’ minimal territories was observed in front of several camera traps, regardless of their sex. Significant snow leopard presence was detected in the buffer area and at Ulan area which is situated at the reserve border. To avoid poaching on this apex predator and its preys, extending the more stringent protection measures of the core zone to both the Southern buffer area and land adjacent to Ulan is recommended.
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