Snow Leopard-The Hindu-07-11-2022

Snow Leopard-The Hindu-07-11-2022
GS-3
ENVIRONMENT

About:

Scientific Name: Panthera uncia

Top Predator: Snow leopards act as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live, due to their position as the top predator in the food web.

Habitat:

Mountainous regions of central and southern Asia.

In India, their geographical range encompasses:

Western Himalayas: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh.

Eastern Himalayas: Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Snow Leopard capital of the world: Hemis, Ladakh.

Hemis National Park is the biggest national park in India and also has a good presence of Snow Leopard.

Protection Status:

The snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List of the Threatened Species.

In addition, it is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).

Making trading of animal body parts (i.e., fur, bones and meat) illegal in signatory countries.

It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.

Conservation Efforts by India:

The Government of India has identified the snow leopard as a flagship species for the high altitude Himalayas.

India is also party to the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme since 2013.

HimalSanrakshak: It is a community volunteer programme, to protect snow leopards, launched in October 2020.

In 2019, First National Protocol was also launched on Snow Leopard Population Assessment which has been very useful for monitoring populations.