Abstract: From March to May, 2006œªwe conducted extensive snow leopard surveys in the Burhanbuda Mountain Kunlun Mountains, Qinghai Province, China. 32 linear transect of 5~15 km each, which running through each vegetation type, were surveyed within the study area. A total of 72 traces of snow leopard were found along 4 transects (12.5% of total transects). The traces included pug marks or footprints, scrapes and urine marks. We estimated the average density of wild ungulates in the region was 2.88ñ0.35 individuals km-2(n=29). We emplaced 16 auto2 trigger cameras in different environments and eight photos of snow leopard were shot by four cameras and the capture rate of snow leopard was 71.4%. The minimum snow leopard population size in the Burhanbuda Mountain was two, because two snow leopards were phototrapped by different cameras at almost same time. Simultaneously, the cameras also shot 63 photos of other wild animals, including five photos are unidentified wild animals, and 20 photos of livestock. We evaluated the human attitudes towards snow leopard by interviewing with 27 Tibetan householders of 30 householders live in the study area. We propose to establish a nature reserve for protecting and managing snow leopards in the region. Snow leopard (Uncia uncia) is considered as a unique species because it lives above the snow line, it is endemic to alpines in Central Asia, inhabiting in 12 countries across Central Asia (Fox, 1992). Snow leopard ranges in alpine areas in Qinghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Gansu and Sichuan in western China (Liao, 1985, 1986; Zhou, 1987; Ma et al., 2002; Jiang & Xu, 2006). The total population and habitat of snow leopards in China are estimated to be 2,000~2,500 individuals and 1,824,316 km2, only 5% of which is under the protection of nature reserves. The cat's current range is fragmented (Zou & Zheng, 2003). Due to strong human persecutions, populations of snow leopards decreased significantly since the end of the 20th century. Thus, the
snow leopards are under the protection of international and domestic laws. From March to May, 2006, we conducted two field surveys in Zhiyu Village, Dulan County in Burhanbuda Mountain, Kunlun Mountains, China to determine the population, distribution and survival status of snow leopards in the area. The aim of the study was to provide ecologic data for snow leopard conservation.

Abstract: In the 1960s, the endangered snow leopard was locally extirpated from the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) region of Nepal. In this Sherpa-inhabited high Himalaya, the flourishing tourism since the ascent of Mt Everest in 1953, has caused both prosperity and adverse impacts, the concern that catalyzed the establishment of Mt. Everest National Park in the region in 1976. In the late 1980s, there were reports that some transient snow leopards may have visited the area from adjoining Tibet, but no biological surveys exist to confirm the status of the cats and their prey. Have snow leopards finally returned to the top of the world? Exploring this question was the main purpose of this research project. We systematically walked altogether 24 sign transects covering over 13 km in length in three valleys, i.e. Namche, Phortse and Gokyo, of the park, and counted several snow leopard signs. The results indicated that snow leopards have made a comeback in the park in response to decades of protective measures, the virtual cessation of hunting and the recovery of the Himalayan tahr which is snow leopard's prey. The average sign density (4.2 signs/km and 2.5 sign sites/km) was comparable to that reported from other parts of the cats' range in the Himalaya. On this basis, we estimated the cat density in the Everest region between 1 to 3 cats per 100 sq km, a figure that was supported by different sets of pugmarks and actual sightings of snow leopards in the 60 km2 sample survey area. In the study area, tahr population had a low reproductive rate (e.g. kids-to-females ratio, 0.1, in Namche). Since predators can influence the size and the structure of prey species populations through mortality and through non-lethal effects or predation risk, snow leopards could have been the cause of the population dynamics of tahr in Sagarmtha, but this study could not confirm this speculation for which further probing may be required.

Abstract: Livestock production is the major land-use in Ladakh region of the Indian Trans-Himalaya, and is a crucial sector that drives the region's economy (Anon, 2002). Animal products like meat and milk provide protein to the diet of people, while products like wool and pashmina (soft fibre of goats) find their way to the international market. Such high utility of livestock and the recent socio-economic changes in the region have caused an increase in livestock population (Rawat and Adhikari, 2002; Anon. 2002), which, if continue apace, may increase grazing pressure and deteriorate pasture conditions. Thus, there is an urgent need to assess the impact of such escalation in livestock population on the regions wildlife. Although, competitive interaction between wildlife and livestock has been studied elsewhere in the Trans-Himalaya (Bhatnagar et al., 2000; Mishra, 2001; Bagchi et al., 2002), knowledge on this aspect in the Ladakh region is very rudimentary. The rangelands of Ladakh are characterised by low primary productivity (Chundawat & Rawat, 1994), and the wild herbivores are likely to compete with the burgeoning livestock on these impoverished rangelands (Mishra et al., 2002). Thus, given that the area supports a diverse wild ungulate assemblage of eight species (Fox et al., 1991b), and an increasing livestock population (Rawat and Adhikari, 2002), the nature of interaction between wildlife and livestock needs to be assessed. During this project, we primarily evaluated the influence of domestic sheep and goat grazing on the habitat use of Tibetan argali Ovis ammon hodgsoni in a prospective wildlife reserve in Ladakh.

Abstract: The Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), locally called chiru, is mainly confined to the Tibetan plateau in China. A small population migrates into Chang Thang in eastern Ladakh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. The chiru has a geographical range extending approximately 1,600 km across the Tibetan Plateau, with an eastern limit near Ngoring Hu (Tibet Autonomous Region) and a western limit in Ladakh (India). Large-scale hunting for wool and meat has resulted in a decline of its population and only an estimated 75,000 individuals of this species survive in the world today. Its status in India has not been studied in any detail, although sporadic spot surveys have been done in the past. Similarly, very little information is available on status of wild yak (Bos grunniens), the progenitor (closest ancestor) of the domestic yak in India. The animal is distributed mainly in the highlands of the Tibetan plateau including the Qinghai province, Tibetan and Xinjiang autonomous regions and the Quilian mountains in the Gansu province. Small nomadic isolated populations are reported from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and even smaller numbers occasionally from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in India. To obtain further information primarily about these two species, the Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu & Kashmir (DWP) along with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Indian Army initiated surveys in Ladakh in the years 2005 and 2006. Surveys were conducted in the Chang Thang and Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuaries of Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir. The Chang Chenmo (Chang Thang) area lies in the eastern part of Ladakh just north of the famous Pangong Lake, while the Karakoram WLS lies in the north-eastern part of Ladakh, south of the Karakoram Pass. The team found 250 – 300 chiru in the Karakoram area in addition to other mammal species. Both male and female chiru were sighted here between altitudes of 4735 m and 5336 m. A total of 230 individuals were sighted (after deleting double counts) in the year 2005 and 45 individuals in 2006. Based on this, it is estimated that between 250-300 individuals occur in this area. Mean group size of chiru was 4.66±0.435 and varied between one to 34 individuals during 2005, and 4.5 ± 2.77 (SE) during 2006. Apart from chiru, other species encountered from the area includes Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), pale or mountain weasel (Mustela altaica), snow leopard (Uncia uncia), Ladakh urial (Ovis vignei), blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), woolly hare (Lepus oiostolus), Ladakh pika (Ochotona ladacensis), Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei), Nubra pika (Ochotona nubrica), plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae), Stoliczka's mountain vole (Alticola stoliczkanus) and silvery mountain vole (Alticola argentatus).

Abstract: Book Title: Rangeland Stewardship in Central Asia: Balancing Improved Livelihoods, Biodiversity Conservation and Land Protection, 2012. Edited by Victor Squires. Published Springer Science+Business Media. 458 p. 91 illus., 61 in color.
Addressing human–wildlife conflict is an important requisite to managing
rangelands for livestock and wildlife. Despite high altitudes, aridity, and relatively
low primary productivity, the rangelands of Central Asia support a rich and diverse
biodiversity—including the endangered snow leopard that many herders perceive
as a predator to be eliminated. Conserving this and other wildlife species requires
carefully crafted interventions aimed at curbing depredation losses and/or reducing
competition for forage, along with offering locally sustainable, environmentally
friendly income-generating activities for supplementing pastoral household livelihoods.
This is best achieved through a combination of incentives designed to foster
sound rangeland and wildlife stewardship, along penalties or disincentives targeting
herders who violate mutually agreed rules and regulations (including grazing norms
and wildlife disturbance or poaching).
When working toward the harmonious coexistence of people and wildlife,
conservationists and rangeland practitioners need to seek the cooperation and
build goodwill among herders and other stakeholders, including local government
and private industry (especially the livestock production, mining, and tourism
sectors).

Abstract: Fostering human–wildlife coexistence necessitates a thorough and nuanced grasp of local attitudes toward wildlife. Attitudes can vary substantially based on the sociodemographic backgrounds of individuals within a society. This study examines Tibetan attitudes toward large carnivores, emphasizing the importance of contextualization in discerning the effects of sociodemographic factors on attitudes. We began by analyzing existing research on Tibetan attitudes toward wildlife in China, identifying previously studied sociodemo- graphic variables. We then executed an online survey to evaluate the affective, behavioral, cognitive, and overall attitudes of ethnic Tibetans in China toward snow leopards (Panthera uncia), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and brown bears (Ursus arctos). Our findings show that while factors such as gender, age, religious identity, and level of education shape these attitudes, their influence differs depending on the specific attitude component and the target animal under examination. Therefore, making broad generalizations about sociodemographic differences in attitudes can be misleading. It is imperative for attitude research to clearly define the attitude component (what type of attitude), object (attitude toward what), and circumstance (attitude in which situation) being studied. Conducting ethnographic fieldwork in collaboration with local cultural experts can deepen our understanding of local perspectives and the ways sociodemographic factors influence attitudes. Such insights are pivotal for developing conservation strategies attuned to local sociocultural contexts.