What is the issue?
- Conservation status of the snow leopard was downgraded from ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’ recently.
- Also WWF-India recently discovered photo evidence of the species in Arunachal Pradesh for the first time.
- However it does not mean that the big cat is safer than it was earlier.
Why was the Conservation Status Downgraded?
- To be considered an “endangered” species, the global populations have to be fewer than 2,500 mature adults.
- Additionally, the decline rate must also be over 20% in past decade.
- It was found that there are more than 2,500 mature adults in the world and the estimated decline rate is at least 10%.
- While the earlier estimates got it worng, currently, snow leapords doesn’t meet the two criteria for being classified as endangered.
- Thus, the downgrading of conservation status was not due threat reduction to the species, but due to an earlier assessment error.
- Notably, the population of the snow leopard continues to decline, and the threats to its existence continue to multiply.
Where was the Leapord Camera Trapped?
- The snow leopard is rarely sighted or photographed.
- The animal was found in a camera trap set up at Thembang, one of the Community Conserved Areas in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Only a part of the state’s snow leopard habitat falls in the protected ‘Dibang Biosphere Reserve’ and ‘Namdapha National Park’.
- Large tracts are under the custodianship of the local communities, whose support is crucial for its protection.
Are Snow Leapords Safe?
- Snow leopard’s range extends for 2.8 million square kilometres and is spread acrpss 12 countries.
- It covers regions of - Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
- Research on the species, including estimates of its range, remains thin — and climate change poses a constant threat to its habitat.
- The current estimates based on expert knowledge place the population at between 4,000-6,500 globally, it is largely disputed.
- Hence, while the severity of threat is indeed imminent, it is only the technicalities that has pushed it to the Vulnerable catogry.
How does the future look?
- Coordinated response from governments is needed for ensuring the survival of the species.
- The first Global Snow Leopard Summit was held at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan recently.
- This was an extenstion on the “Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme” (GSLEP).
- The Indian government also had launched Project Snow Leopard in January 2009 along the lines of Project Tiger.
- Also, a Rs75 crore, six-year conservation programme for the Himalayan ecosystem was recently launched.
- These measures is hoped to hold the key for the survival of the Himalayan cats in India.
Quick Facts
International Union for Conservation of Nature - (IUCN)
- It is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
- It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Founded in 1964, it is the world's most comprehensive data trove of the global conservation status of biological species.
- It is set upon precise criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies.
- Species are classified by the Red List into nine catogries based on various criteria like - population size, area of geographic distribution, rate of decline etc...
- Depending on emphrical evidence, species are either upgraded or downgraded on this priority list for conservation.
Source: Indian Express
