Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) Conservation: Interface with...
Transcript of Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) Conservation: Interface with...
Aishwarya Maheshwari
Species Conservation Programme
WWF-India
Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) Conservation:
Interface with human
WWF-India Initiative
The basic objectives are:
Minimize snow leopard-human conflicts: Reduce loss of
livestock depredation
Improve livestock guarding practices
Increase household income by providing
• incentives/ compensation against livestock loss
• enhance community based livelihood schemes
India is practicing the following:
Livestock insurance schemes by NCF and ISLT in Spiti,
Himachal Pradesh
Improved livestock guarding practices: predator proof
corral pens in Leh, Ladakh by SLC and Dept. of Wildlife
Protection, Govt. of J & K
Community based livelihood schemes such as Home
stays and Eco-tourism in Leh and Spiti by NCF, ISLT and
WWF-India
Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action
(APPA) in Hemis National Park, Ladakh
Hemis National Park: 4000 sq km area in the Trans-
Himalayas of Leh, Ladakh
Considered as prime snow leopard habitat
Almost 1600 people live in 16 small settlements
Communities reported considerable livestock loss during
depredation by snow leopard (Bhatnagar et al. 1999)
Jackson R., Wangchuk R. and Hillard D. Grassroots measures to protect the endangered
snow leopard from herder retribution: lessons learned from predator-proofing corrals in
Ladakh.
Bhatnagar Y.V., Wangchuk R. and Jackson R. 1999. A survey of depredation and related
wildlife-human conflicts in Hemis National Park, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
APPA Contd.
Main Agenda
Expectation from communities in terms of their
involvement, contribution and responsibility
Features with examples :
1. Community based livelihood schemes
Groups at village levels
Eco-tourism and Home Stays
2. Conservation awareness programmes
Awareness meetings/ workshops for
Villagers, shepherds, students, tourist
Operators and other stakeholders
3. Reduce Livestock depredation
Construction of predator proof corral
Pens with local participation and
involvement
4. Strength environmental stewardship
Long term objective of the programme:
Mixture of all three features at landscape level
and can be measured through research
tools
Distribution and Habitat
• First focused surveys on snow leopard in Uttarakhand
• Almost 10 Protected Areas were surveyed
• 13 evidence of snow leopard in Uttarakhand in the form of scats (9) and pugmarks (4).
– Three snow leopards are identified genetically (WII, unpub.)
• Potential areas identified in Uttarakhand
• No evidence in the areas surveyed of Himachal Pradesh
Large carnivore-human conflicts in
Uttarakhand-2008
0
20
40
60
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% l
oss
Livestock depredation (%) by snow leoaprd in
Uttarakhand 2008
% loss 6.25 0.67 0.4
GPV AWLS Munsiari
Livestock depredation (%) by large
carnivores in GPV, AWLS and Munsiari
Wolf, 19.6
Black bear,
51.3
Brown bear,
9.0
Leopard,
10.3
Snow
leopard, 9.8
n=388
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50000
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Co
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f li
ves
tock
Livestock total cost and loss (USD) by snow
leopard
Total lives tock value (USD) 59535 31329 72794
Loss (USD) 3721 392 291
GPV AWLS Munsiari
Snow leopard-human conflicts in
Uttarakhand-2008
⇒Targets⇒
⇓Threats⇓
Snow
leopard
Snow leopard
habitat
Snow leopard-human
conflicts
Low
Tourism Low
Human settlements Low
Grazing Low
Developmental
activity
Medium
Target threat rating Low Low
Threats to snow leopard and its
habitat
Kargil, Ladakh?
Diet of Snow leopard Wild prey: 55 %
Domestic Livestock: 45 %
Precentage frequency (%) of prey species in the diet of
snow leopard
Asiatic ibex
28%
Goat
9%Rodent
18%
Cow
18%
Dzo
9%
Long ta i led
marmot
9%
Sheep
9%n=09
Figure 3. Percentage frequency (%) of prey species in the
diet of Tibetan wolf
Asiatic ibex
9%
Cow
9%
Sheep
18%
Donkey
9%
Rodent
37%
Goat
9%Unidentified
9%
n=06 Diet of Tibetan wolf Wild prey: 46 %
Domestic Livestock: 45 %
Reports of predation (%) by carnivores , 2009
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45
50
Snow
leopard
Tibetan wolf Himalayan
Brown bear
Red fox Unidentified
predator
Carnivores
% C
ases
Large carnivore-human conflicts
Total livestock 13356 and loss 427 by
Snow leopard: 18%
Tibetan wolf: 41%
Unidentified: 37%
Total value (USD) of livestock loss by large carnivores
in Kargil and Drass
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5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
Snow
leopard
Tibetan wolf Himalayan
brown bear
Unidentified
Large carnivores
Cost
in U
SD
Total livestock cost= $ 3035159/- Total livestock loss= $ 62596/-
n=118
Ongoing and Future Efforts
Mitigate carnivore-human conflicts in Kargil, Ladakh
Initiation of predator-proof corral pens
Conservation awareness meetings
Mitigate unappreciated common issues between locals
and Govt. on livestock loss
Mobilizing Govt. to restructure compensation
mechanism and continuous flow of funds