Panthera uncia<\/td>
\n300-350 (KGZ)
\n250-280 (TJK)<\/td><\/tr>\t<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n\t\t\tDistribution and habitat\t<\/h2>\n\t
Snow leopards inhabit the mountainous regions of 12 countries in Central and South Asia: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Preferring steep and highly rugged habitats with low vegetation, the snow leopard lives at elevations of below 1000 to above 5000 m. They favour rugged, steep terrain and rocky outcrops, often migrating to lower elevations during winter to avoid deep snow. As habitats become more fragmented from human activities, the remaining populations of snow leopards are decreasing, becoming more isolated and thus increasing the risk of local extinctions.<\/p>\n
Snow leopards are found in the mountainous regions of Kazakhstan, primarily\u00a0covering\u00a0the Altai,\u00a0Dzungar\u00a0Alatau,\u00a0Tarbagatai,\u00a0and Tien Shan mountain ranges.\u00a0Today, the snow leopard has disappeared from some peripheral ranges, and although ongoing research in Kazakhstan suggests that its population has been recovering unevenly over the past 20-30 years,\u00a0it remains absent from key areas such as the Saur,\u00a0Tarbagatai,\u00a0Uzynkara\u00a0(Ketmen), and\u00a0Karatau\u00a0ranges.<\/p>\n
In Kyrgyzstan, suitable snow leopard habitat covers 89,000 km2\u00a0in the Northern, Central, Western Tien Shan and Pamir-Alai ridges.\u00a0The highest densities of snow leopards are found in rugged mountainous terrain within protected areas,\u00a0highlighting\u00a0their importance for conservation.<\/p>\n
Tajikistan has an 85,700 km2 habitat for snow leopards and serves as a vital corridor for the genetic interchange between southern and northern range populations.\u00a0They are present in all major mountain ranges of the country\u00a0with\u00a0varying density dependent on terrain and\u00a0presence of ungulate prey.<\/p>\n Within their range, snow leopards are considered a keystone species meaning that they play an important role in maintaining biological integrity in mountain ecosystems. Being a top predator with a wide range, the fate of the snow leopard depends on the populations of its prey species – wild sheep, goats, and other herbivores – and thus is considered an indicator of healthy mountain ecosystems. Measures taken to protect the snow leopard can, therefore, help protect many other species inhabiting the same area.<\/p>\n Snow leopards face a range of interrelated and intensifying threats across their range. Increased human activity, poaching, and competition with livestock continue to put significant pressure on both snow leopards and their prey species, particularly especially as prey populations become more fragmented and locally depleted.<\/p>\n POACHING: Since the mid-twentieth century, hunting has been a major driver of the decline of key prey species in\u00a0Kyrgyzstan and\u00a0Tajikistan, including ibex, argali, and urial, although some\u00a0mountainous regions\u00a0in Tajikistan\u00a0have seen a notable recovery of these species, supported by the combined efforts of institutions, community-based conservancies, private hunting concessions, government agencies, and international organizations.<\/p>\n\t OVERGRAZING: Driven by rising livestock numbers and poor grazing management, degradation of alpine pastures reduces forage quality for wild ungulates, while also increasing the overlap between wildlife and livestock. This overlap raises the risk of disease transmission and, as wild prey becomes less available, leads snow leopards to prey more frequently on domestic animals, intensifying human-wildlife conflict and often resulting in retaliatory killings. At the same time, poaching for the illegal trade in fur and bones persists, and expanding infrastructure development threatens to increase habitat degradation, reduce connectivity, and restrict prey movements, further isolating already fragmented populations and heightening the risk of genetic isolation.<\/p>\n CLIMATE CHANGE: Existing pressures are increasingly exacerbated by climate change, as rising temperatures alter the productivity, vegetation structure, and physical conditions of alpine ecosystems, further increasing habitat degradation and uncertainty for both snow leopards and their prey<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShow Refrences\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n Bellamy J.J., Akhmedova T., (2020). Conservation and Sustainable Use of Pamir Alay and Tien Shan Ecosystems for Snow Leopard Protection and Sustainable Community Livelihoods. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Tajikistan (PIMS 5437)<\/p>\n J. Li, T.M. McCarthy, H. Wang, B.v. Weckworth, G.B. Schaller, C. Mishra, Z. Lu, S.R. Beissinger. Climate refugia of snow leopards in High Asia. Biol. Conserv., 203 (2016), pp. 188-196, 10.1016\/j.biocon.2016.09.026<\/p>\n J. Li, B.V. Weckworth, T.M. McCarthy, X. Liang, Y. Liu, R. Xing, D. Li, Y. Zhang, Y. Xue, R. Jackson, L. Xiao, C. Cheng, S. Li, F. Xu, M. Ma, X. Yang, K. Diao, Y. Gao, D. Song, K. Nowell, B. He, Y. Li, K. McCarthy, M.Y. Paltsyn, K. Sharma, C. Mishra, G.B. Schaller, Z. Lu, S.R. Beissinger. Defining priorities for global snow leopard conservation landscapes. Biol. Conserv., 241 (2020), Article 108387<\/p>\n Li, X.; Ma, L.; Hu, D.; Ma, D.; Li, R.; Sun, Y.; Gao, E. Potential Range Shift of Snow Leopard in Future Climate Change Scenarios.\u00a0Sustainability\u00a02022,\u00a014, 1115. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/su14031115<\/a><\/p>\n W. Rashid, J. Shi, I. ur Rahim, H. Sultan, S. Dong, L. Ahmad. Research trends and management options in human-snow leopard conflict. Biol. Conserv., 242 (2020), Article 108413, 10.1016\/j.biocon.2020.108413<\/p>\n Sharief A, Kumar V, Singh H, Mukherjee T, Dutta R, Joshi BD, et al. (2022) Landscape use and co-occurrence pattern of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and its prey species in the fragile ecosystem of Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh. PLoS ONE 17(7): e0271556. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0271556<\/a><\/p>\n Snow Leopard Working Secretariat. 2013. Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.<\/p>\n Snow Leopard Working Secretariat. 2020. Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program ,Country Updates 2020, Kyrgyz Republic.<\/p>\n Uncia uncia | CMS – https:\/\/www.cms.int\/en\/species\/uncia-uncia<\/a><\/p>\n![\"CAMCA_speciesranges_snowleopard_draft_fullHD_v2_JW\"](\"https:\/\/camcaproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CAMCA_speciesranges_snowleopard_draft_fullHD_v2_JW.avif\" "\\"CAMCA_speciesranges_snowleopard_draft_fullHD_v2_JW\\"")
\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t Importance\t<\/h2>\n\t
\n\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\tThreats\t<\/h2>\n\t