Abstract: The pastoral practices of the Dokpa herders of North Sikkim have been transforming in response to the geo-political and socio-economic changes in the region. Against the backdrop of these changes, this study aims to understand the current state of pastoralism in North Sikkim with three specific objectives: (i) to understand the current rangeland management practices of the Dokpa community; (ii) to examine the social, political and ecological stresses to continuity of traditional pastoral livelihoods; and (iii) to document the baseline on human-wildlife relations. We focused on one of the two subset populations of Dokpa herders of North Sikkim and, using a mixed-methods approach, conducted 12 semi-structured interviews, four key respondent interviews and two focused group discussions. The resource use by the Dokpas is unique, and unlike the rest of the Himalayan range, they access the high-altitude pastures in winters and the lower ones in summer. Pastures in the higher altitudes experience heavier winds, which leads to lower levels of snow deposition — thus ensuring access to dried pasture forage for livestock during the lean season. The decisions pertaining to resource management are taken by the head of the local institution Dzumsa, the Pipon. Primary stresses to the continuation of traditional pastoral practices are fragmentation of pastureland post- Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the consequent establishment of armed forces, livestock depredation by free-ranging dogs followed by wild predators and continued socio-economic marginalisation of the pastoralists under a supposedly egalitarian institutional regime. Extreme climatic events in the recent past have also contributed to significant livestock loss. Dokpa transhumant practices are on an overall decline, with most members of the younger generation shifting to non-herding livelihoods. The availability of alternate livelihood options with the improved connectivity, access to education and development of the tourism industry has led to changing aspirations of the younger generations. In only two of the twelve households we surveyed, the younger generation continues herding, while the rest have moved to the cities and towns. In terms of human-wildlife relations, the respondents mostly hold a positive attitude towards wildlife and conservation actions despite livestock predation by wild predators, since the free-ranging dogs cause the highest livestock loss. With the inputs from the Dokpas, we provide recommendations towards a facilitative environment for the continuation of the traditional herding in the region, which is critical for the survival of pastoralism in North Sikkim, presently hinged on less than two dozen of elderly Dokpas.

Abstract: The snow leopard (Uncia uncial Schreber, 1776) is the most poorly studied species of the cat family in the world and, in particular, in Russia, where the northern periphery of the species area (no more than 3% of it) is located in the Altai-Hangai-Sayan range [1]. It is generally known that the existing data on the Russian part of the snow leopard population have never been a result of targeted studies; at best, they have been based on recording the traces of the snow leopard vital activity [2]. This is explained by the snow leopard's elusive behavior, inaccessibility of its habitats for humans, and its naturally small total numbers in the entire species area. All published data on the population status of the snow leopard in Russia, from the first descriptions of the species [3-6] to the latest studies [7, 8] are subjective, often speculative, and are not confirmed by
quantitative estimates. It is obvious, however, that every accurate observation of this animal is of particular interest [9]. The purpose of our study was to determine the structure and size of the population group presumably inhabiting the Western Sayan mountain ridge at the northern boundary of the species area

Abstract: The snow leopard Panthera uncia is an elusive and globally-threatened apex predator occurring in the mountain ranges of central Asia. As with other large carnivores, gaps in data on its distribution and abundance still persist. Moreover, available density estimates are often based on inadequate sampling designs or analytical approaches. Here, we used camera trapping across a vast mountainous area (area of the sampling frame 850 km2; analysed habitat extent 2600 km2) and spatially-explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models to provide, to our knowledge, the first robust snow leopard population density estimate for the Altai Mountains. This region is considered one of the most important conservation areas for snow leopards, representing a vast portion of suitable habitat and a key ecological corridor. We also provide estimates of the scale parameter (σ) that reflects ranging behaviour (activity range) and baseline encounter probability, and investigated potential drivers of density and related parameters by assessing their associations with anthropogenic and environmental factors. Sampling yielded 9729 images of snow leopards corresponding to 224 independent detections that belonged to a minimum of 23 identified adult individuals. SECR analysis resulted in an overall density of 1.31 individuals/100 km2 (1.15%–1.50 95% CI), which was positively correlated with terrain slope. This estimate falls within the mid-values of the range of density estimates for the species globally. We estimated significantly different activity range size for females and males (79 and 329 km2, respectively). Base- line encounter probability was negatively associated with anthropogenic activity. Our study contributes to on-going efforts to produce robust global estimates of population abundance for this top carnivore.

Abstract: This document reports on the status, distribution and protected areas coverage for snow leopard across its range in Central Asia. It is intended to aid in updating the existing knowledge base of snow leopard status and distribution during the Snow Leopard Survival Strategy (SLSS) Workshop organized by the International Snow Leopard Trust (ISLT), and to be held in Seattle on May 21-25, 2002. The SLSS workshop provides an unique opportunity to solicit feedback from scientists,
conservation organizations, government agencies and knowledgeable experts in order to:
(1) Verify the accuracy of information presented in this document (much of which was published 5-10 years ago) and to identify data gaps, especially with respect to population size and protectedareas coverage for this species;
(2) Aid organizations in developing tightly targeting conservation actions by identifying critical snow leopard areas, parks and reserves, and by implication, the intervening linking corridors linking key protected areas;
(3) Serve as a catalyst for encouraging range-countries to conduct field surveys into snow leopard status and distribution, especially in those areas deemed the most important to the maintenance of a viable metapopulation across the 12 countries in which the species' occurs.

Abstract: Zoolites of the Felidae family are known from the Upper Eocene Lower Pliocene in Eurasia, Africa, and North America. Two sub-families are know to inhabit the territory of the USSR and adjacent territories: the extinct sabre-toothed Felidae species Machairodontia and now existing Felidae species. In the USSR the extinct Felidae species were found to exist in Upper Miocene, Upper and Middle Pliocene, and Pleistocene. In Eurasia panthers has been know since early Pliocene. Three species were found in Uzbekistan – the extinct cave lion Felidae sd†l…†… (Goldfuss, 1810), and now existing P…nth†a… tigris, P…nth†a… pardus. The ancient finds and modern habitats are briefly described. Genus Uncia is represented by one species snow leopard or irbis. Probably it appeared in later Pliocene or Pleistocene in the mountain of Central Asia. In Uzbekistan, remains of snow leopard were found in the Samarqand region in the layer of Upper Pleistocene or Holocene. Probably it moved into the area in Pleistocene or the period of glacier removal in the Western Tien Shan mountains, Turkestan, Zeravshan, and Hissar ridges.