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Author Alexander, J. S., Shi, K., Tallents, L. A., Riordan, P. url  doi
  Title On the high trail: examining determinants of site use by the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia in Qilianshan, China Type Journal Article
  Year (up) 2015 Publication Oryx Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Fauna & Flora International Pages 1-8  
  Keywords Camera Trap, China, Detection Probability, Occupancy Modelling, Panthera Uncia, Site use, Snow Leopard  
  Abstract Abstract There is a need for simple and robust techniques for assessment and monitoring of populations of the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia to inform the de- velopment of action plans for snow leopard conservation. We explored the use of occupancy modelling to evaluate the influence of environmental and anthropogenic features on snow leopard site-use patterns. We conducted a camera trap survey across  km in Gansu Province, China, and used data from  camera traps to estimate probabilities of site use and detection using the single season occupancy model. We assessed the influence of three covariates on site use by snow leopards: elevation, the presence of blue sheep Pseudois nayaur and the presence of human disturb- ance (distance to roads). We recorded  captures of snow leopards over , trap-days, representing a mean capture success of . captures per  trap-days. Elevation had the strongest influence on site use, with the probability of site use increasing with altitude, whereas the influence of presence of prey and distance to roads was relatively weak. Our findings indicate the need for practical and robust tech- niques to appraise determinants of site use by snow leo- pards, especially in the context of the limited resources available for such work.  
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1433  
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Author Alexander, J. S., Zhang, C., Shi, K., Riordan, P. url 
  Title A spotlight on snow leopard conservation in China Type Journal Article
  Year (up) 2016 Publication Integrative Zoology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue 11 Pages  
  Keywords China, conservation, Panthera uncia, research prioritization  
  Abstract China holds the greatest proportion of the snow leopard’s (Panthera uncia) global range and is central to their conservation. The country is also undergoing unprecedented economic growth, which increases both the threats to the snow leopard and the opportunities for its conservation. In this paper we aim to review published literature (from 1950 to 2014) in English and Mandarin on snow leopard ecology and conservation in China in order to identify thematic and geographic research gaps and propose research priorities. We first retrieved all publish items that considered snow leopards in China (n = 106). We extracted from these papers 274 reports of snow leopard presence in China. We then reviewed a subset of papers (n = 33) of this literature, which specifically focused on snow leopard ecology and conservation within China. We introduced a thematic framework that allows a structured and comprehensive assessment of findings. This framework recognizes 4 critical and interrelated topics underpinning snow leopard ecology and conservation: habitat (distribution and protected area coverage); prey (distribution and abundance, predator–prey relationships); human interactions (hunting and trade, livestock interactions and conflicts); and the underlying policy context. Significant gains in knowledge as well as research gaps and priorities are discussed with reference to our framework. The modest quantity and limited scope of published research on the snow leopard in China calls for a continued and intensified effort to inform and support national conservation policies.  
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1442  
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Author Weiskopf, S. R., Kachel, S. M., McCarthy, K. P. url 
  Title What Are Snow Leopards Really Eating? Identifying Bias in Food-Habit Studies Type Journal Article
  Year (up) 2016 Publication Wildlife Society Bulletin Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-8  
  Keywords diet, DNA genotyping, feces, Panthera uncia, scat, snow leopard. Lack of  
  Abstract Declining prey populations are widely recognized as a primary threat to snow leopard (Panthera

uncia) populations throughout their range. Effective snow leopard conservation will depend upon reliable

knowledge of food habits. Unfortunately, past food-habit studies may be biased by inclusion of nontarget

species in fecal analysis, potentially misinforming managers about snow leopard prey requirements.

Differentiation between snow leopard and sympatric carnivore scat is now cost-effective and reliable using

genetics. We used fecal mitochondrial DNA sequencing to identify scat depositors and assessment bias in

snow leopard food-habit studies. We compared presumed, via field identification, and genetically confirmed

snow leopard scats collected during 2005 and 2012 from 4 sites in Central Asia, using standard forensic

microscopy to identify prey species. Field identification success varied across study sites, ranging from 21% to

64% genetically confirmed snow leopard scats. Our results confirm the importance of large ungulate prey for

snow leopards. Studies that fail to account for potentially commonplace misidentification of snow leopard

scat may mistakenly include a large percentage of scats originating from other carnivores and report

inaccurate dietary assessments. Relying on field identification of scats led to overestimation of percent

occurrence, biomass, and number of small mammals consumed, but underestimated values of these measures for large ungulates in snow leopard diet. This clarification suggests that the conservation value of secondary prey, such as marmots (Marmota spp.) and other small mammals, may be overstated in the literature; stable snow leopard populations are perhaps more reliant upon large ungulate prey than previously understood.
 
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1445  
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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 (up) 2016 Publication 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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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1446  
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Author Mishra, C., Young, J. C., Fiechter, M., Rutherford, B., Redpath, S. M. url  doi
  Title Building partnerships with communities for biodiversity conservation: lessons from Asian mountains Type Journal Article
  Year (up) 2017 Publication Journal of Applied Ecology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-9  
  Keywords community engagement, conservation, conservation programmes, Panthera uncia, partnership, snow leopard, stakeholder engagement  
  Abstract Applied ecology lies at the intersection of human societies and natural systems. Consequently, applied ecologists are constantly challenged as to how best to use ecological knowledge to influence the management of ecosystems (Habel et al. 2013). As Hulme (2011) has pointed out, to do so effectively we must leave our ivory towers and engage with stakeholders. This engagement is especially important and challenging in areas of the world where poverty, weak institutions and poor governance structures conspire to limit the ability of local communities to contribute to biodiversity conservation. These communities often bear disproportionate costs in the form of curtailed access to natural resources, ecosystem services, and developmental

programmes, and also suffer wildlife-caused damage, including injuries or loss of human life, and economic

and psychological impacts (Madhusudan & Mishra 2003). It is well-recognized that conservation efforts in large parts of the world historically have been perceived to be discriminatory by local people (Mishra 2016). The need for engagement with local communities is therefore embedded in the 2020 Aichi biodiversity targets and is widely thought to be critical to the success of conservation efforts. However, although the need for engagement is clear, as ecologists and practitioners we often have little formal training in how we should engage with local communities and how we can recognize the pitfalls and opportunities provided by developing genuine partnerships. The practical challenges of achieving effective engagement are considerable (Agrawal & Gibson 1999; Waylen et al. 2010, 2013), and such forays are fraught with difficulties and ethical considerations (Chan et al. 2007). When they are done badly, conservation interventions

can damage relationships and trust, and lead to serious injustice to local people and setbacks for ecological

outcomes (Duffy 2010). Much has been written on knowledge exchange and participatory research approaches (e.g. Reed et al. 2014 and references therein). This Practitioner’s Perspective

seeks to focus on the next logical step: the elements that practitioners and researchers need to consider when

engaging with communities to effect conservation. Engagement around the management of protected areas

has been discussed and formalized (e.g. Dudley 2008). Considerable literature has also emerged, particularly

from Africa, on the use and co-management of natural resources, commonly referred to as community-based natural resource management or CBNRM (e.g. Fabricius 2004; Roe, Nelson & Sandbrook 2009; Child & Barnes

2010). There have been attempts to draw general principles for CBNRM (e.g. Thakadu 2005; Gruber 2010). In

the related field of community-based conservation, however, while there have been efforts to draw lessons (e.g. Berkes 2004), little exists in terms of frameworks or guidelines for effectively working with local communities to effect biodiversity conservation in multi-use landscapes

(Mishra 2016). The eight principles for community-based conservation outlined here (Fig. 1) build on ideas developed in fields as diverse as applied ecology, conservation and natural

resource management, community health, social psychology, rural development, negotiation theory, and ethics

(see Mishra 2016). They have been developed, challenged and tested through 20 years of community experience andour own research on the endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia and its mountain ecosystems, in South and Central Asia. We suspect that with contextual adaptations, their relevance for applied ecologists and practitioners may be universal.
 
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1451  
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Author Mallon, D. P., Jackson, R. M. url 
  Title A downlist is not a demotion: Red List status and reality Type Journal Article
  Year (up) 2017 Publication Oryx Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-5  
  Keywords Cryptic, IUCN Red List, Panthera uncia, population estimate, snow leopard, species assessment  
  Abstract Assessments of biodiversity status are needed to

track trends, and the IUCN Red List has become the accepted

global standard for documenting the extinction

risk of species. Obtaining robust data on population size is

an essential component of any assessment of a species� status,

including assessments for the IUCN Red List. Obtaining

such estimates is complicated by methodological and

logistical issues, which are more pronounced in the case of

cryptic species, such as the snow leopard Panthera uncia.

Estimates of the total population size of this species have,

to date, been based on little more than guesstimates, but a

comprehensive summary of recent field research indicates

that the conservation status of the snow leopard may be

less dire than previously thought. A revised categorization,

from Endangered to Vulnerable, on the IUCN Red List was

proposed but met some opposition, as did a recent, similar

recategorization of the giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca.

Possible factors motivating such attitudes are discussed.

Downlisting on the IUCN Red List indicates that the species

concerned is further from extinction, and is always to be

welcomed, whether resulting from successful conservation

intervention or improved knowledge of status and trends.

Celebrating success is important to reinforce the message

that conservation works, and to incentivize donors.
 
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1460  
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Author Murali, R., Redpath, S., Mishra, C. url 
  Title The value of ecosystem services in the high altitude Spiti Valley, Indian Trans-Himalaya Type Journal Article
  Year (up) 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 Bocci, A., Lovari, S., Khan, M. Z., Mori, E. url 
  Title Sympatric snow leopards and Tibetan wolves: coexistence of large carnivores with human-driven potential competition Type Journal Article
  Year (up) 2017 Publication European Journal of Wildlife Research Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-9  
  Keywords Panthera uncia . Canis lupus filchneri . Competition . Large-carnivore coexistence . Siberian ibex  
  Abstract The snow leopard Panthera uncia coexists with the wolf Canis lupus throughout most of its distribution range.

We analysed the food habits of snow leopards and wolves in their sympatric range in the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan. A total of 131 genotyped scats (N = 74, snow leopard; N = 57, Tibetan wolf) were collected during the cold periods (i.e. winter and spring) of 2011 and 2012 in the Hushey valley. Large mammals, i.e. livestock and ibex, accounted for 84.8 and 83.1% of the diet (relative frequency) of the snow leopard and the wolf, respectively. Domestic prey was the staple of the diet of both snow leopards (66.6%) and wolves (75.1%). Ibex Capra ibex, the only wild ungulate in our study area, contributed 18.2 and 16.9%of relative frequencies in the

diets of the snow leopard and the wolf, respectively. In winter, the snowleopard heavily relied on domestic sheep (43.3%) for food, whereas the wolf preyed mainly on domestic goats (43.4%). Differently from other study areas, both snow leopards and wolves showed no apparent prey preference (Jacobs

index: snow leopard min. − 0.098, max. 0.102; Tibetan wolf min. − 0.120, max. 0.03). In human depauperate areas, with livestock and only a few wild prey, should competitive interactions arise, two main scenarios could be expected, with either predator as a winner. In both cases, the best solution

could primarily impinge on habitat restoration, so that a balance could be found between these predators, who have already coexisted for thousands of years.
 
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1464  
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Author Schutgens, M. G., Hanson, J. H., Baral, N., Ale, S. B. doi 
  Title Visitors’ willingness to pay for snow leopard Panthera uncia conservation in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal Type Journal Article
  Year (up) 2018 Publication Oryx Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1 - 10  
  Keywords Carnivore conservation, contingent valuation, economic valuation, existence value, Panthera uncia, snow leopard, threatened species, wildlife policy  
  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.
 
  Address http://snowleopardnetwork.org/bibliography/Schutgensetal_2018.pdf  
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1467  
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Author Johansson, O., Koehler, G., Rauset, G. R.< Samelius, G., Andren, H., Mishra, C., Lhagvarsuren, P., McCarthy, T., Low, M. url 
  Title Sex specific seasonal variation in puma and snow leopard home range utilization Type Journal Article
  Year (up) 2018 Publication Ecosphere Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 9 Issue 8 Pages 1-14  
  Keywords Cougar, female choice, LoCoH, mating tactics, Panthera Uncia, Puma concolor, spacing pattern, territoriality  
  Abstract Territory size is often larger for males than for females in species without biparental care. For large solitary carnivores, this is explained by males encompassing a set of female territories to monopolize their reproduction during mating (area maximization). However, males are expected to behave more like females outside of breeding, with their area utilization being dependent on the range required to secure food resources (area minimization). To examine how male and female solitary carnivores adjust their spatial organization during the year as key resources (mates and prey) change, we radio&#8208;collared 17 pumas (Puma concolor; nine males and eight females) and 14 snow leopards (Panthera uncia; seven males and seven females) and estimated home range size and overlap on two temporal scales (annual vs. monthly). Contrary to expectation, we found no evidence that males monopolized females (the mean territory overlap between females and the focal male during the mating season was 0.28 and 0.64 in pumas and snow leopards, respectively). Although male&#65533;male overlap of annual home ranges was comparatively high (snow leopards [0.21] vs. pumas [0.11]), monthly home range overlaps were small (snow leopards [0.02] vs. pumas [0.08]) suggesting strong territoriality. In pumas, both males and females reduced their monthly home ranges in winter, and at the same time, prey distribution was clumped and mating activity increased. In snow leopards, females showed little variation in seasonal home range size, following the seasonal stability in their primary prey. However, male snow leopards reduced their monthly home range utilization in the mating season. In line with other studies, our results suggest that female seasonal home range variation is largely explained by changes in food resource distribution. However, contrary to expectations, male territories did not generally encompass those of females, and males reduced their home ranges during mating. Our results show that male and female territorial boundaries tend to intersect in these species, and hint at the operation of female choice and male mate guarding within these mating systems.  
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  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1471  
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