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Ecology & Environment
Mahesh

08/11/22 21:13 PM IST

Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI)

In News 
  • The first-ever recording of the snow leopard from the Baltal-Zojila region has renewed the hope for the elusive predator in the higher altitudes of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI)
  • It was launched on International Snow Leopard Day on 23rdOctober 2019.
  • It has evolved from international effort to develop a global protocol for PAWS under the aegis of GSELP.
  • Objective – To help the snow leopard double its population.
  • Under SPAI, a two-step process is undertaken to estimate the snow leopard population.
  • First step– An occupation-based assessment of snow leopard distribution, which involves identifying the area where the study will be conducted based on conducting preliminary surveys and using interview or sign-based methods.
  • Second step– Population sampling for regional density estimation by carrying out a thorough review of already sampled areas.
  • Online tools including a data-sharing portal, training app for identifying individual leopards through photographs and threat mapping tool would be utilized.
About the Snow leopard
  • The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a felidae (a family of mammals in the order Carnivora) in the genus Panthera.
  • It is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia, ranging from eastern Afghanistan, the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau to southern Siberia, Mongolia and western China.
  • It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
  • It is a good indicator species (whose presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition) as it quickly reacts to habitat disturbances.
Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP)
  • The GSLEP is a world first joint initiative that aims to conserve the endangered snow leopard within the broader context of also conserving valuable high mountain ecosystems.
  • It unites all 12 range country governments, nongovernmental and inter-governmental organisations, local communities, and the private sector around this aim.
Source- The Hindu 

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