IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Jackson, R.; Mallon, D.; Mishra, C.; Noras, S.; Sharma, R.; Suryawanshi, K. | |
| Snow leopard survival strategy revised version 2014.1 | |
| 2014 Full Book | |
The iconic snow leopard is the least known of the 'big cats' due to its elusive nature, secretive habits and the remote and challenging terrain it inhabits. As an apex predator, its survival depends on healthy populations of mountain ungulates, the major prey; these in turn are dependent on the availability of good-quality rangeland minimally degraded by concurrent use from livestock and humans. The snow leopard has a large home range size, so viable populations can only be secured across large landscapes. The snow leopard therefore represents the ideal flagship and umbrella species for the mountain ecosystems of Asia. Snow leopards share their range with pastoral communities who also require healthy rangelands to sustain their livestock and livelihoods. Moreover, these high altitude mountains and plateaus provide invaluable ecosystem services through carbon storage in peat lands and grasslands, and serve as Asia's 'water towers', providing fresh water for hundreds of millions of people living downstream in Central, East and South Asia. |
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(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |