Project Snow Leopard was started by the project snow leopard committee formed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, India in the year 2009. It was instituted to protect and conserve India’s unique high-altitude wildlife population and their habitat by promoting conservation through participatory policies and actions.
PC: Sascha Fonseca
Snow Leopard Highlights:
Scientific Name: Panthera uncia
Habitat: Mountain regions of southern and central Asia. In India, they have their homes western & eastern Himalayas covering the states of Jammu, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim
Conservation Status: Endangered
Snow Leopard is a top predatory animal in high-altitude regions, they are also at the top of the food chain. The Snow Leopard Population can determine the health of the mountain ecosystem they are part of.
What is the IUCN Status of Snow Leopard in 2022?
The Snow Leopard is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN list 2022 due to their diminishing population in the world. It is estimated that the Snow Leopard population has reached far below 10,000 in the entire world.
Why Project Snow Leopard is important?
In India, Snow Leopards have their natural habitat at more than 2500m above the sea level in the Himalayan region. Not only that, there are many predatory animals such as the Himalayan tiger and other endangered species living in the same habitat. So, the Snow Leopard is considered the umbrella species, and protecting the snow leopards will indirectly protect other species in the same habitat and the ecosystem.
The Motto of the Umbrella Project Snow Leopard is to protect the snow leopards and their habitat responsible for their very existence, and as a result, all other species in the same habitat will also be safeguarded.
