Assurance of the existence of a trans‐boundary population of the snow leopard (<i>Panthera uncia</i>) at Tsagaanshuvuut – Tsagan‐Shibetu SPA at the Mongolia–Russia border

Poyarkov, A. D.; Munkhtsog, Bariushaa; Korablev, M. P.; Kuksin, Alexander; Alexandrov, Dmitry Yu.; Chistopolova, M. D.; Hernandez-Blanco, Jose A.; Munkhtogtokh, Ochirjav; Karnaukhov, A. S.; Lkhamsuren, Namdag; Munkhtsog, Bayaraa; Jackson, Rodney; Maheshwari, Aishwarya; Рожнов, В. В.

doi:10.1111/1749-4877.12420

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…These mountains contain one of the largest and most important remaining landscapes globally for snow leopard conservation [5]. But there is a limited understanding of snow leopards in this region [11][12][13][14][34][35][36][37][38][39]. Our study was motivated by the limited quantitative data on the basic spatial ecology and behavior of snow leopards in the Altai.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal space use and habitat selection of GPS collared snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in the Mongolian Altai range

Rosenbaum¹,

Poyarkov

Munkhtsog

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Although the home range and habitat selection of animal species is among the fundamental pieces of biological information collected by research projects during recent decades, published information on the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) home range is limited. The Altai Mountains of central Asia contain some of the largest and most important remaining conservation landscapes for snow leopards globally, but there is a limited understanding of the species’ ecology in this region. First, we used the data from 5 snow leopards equipped with GPS collars at four study sites in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia to broadly characterize patterns of home range use between 2013 and 2019. The data was used to calculate home range size from a 10 month period using three different estimators: minimum convex polygons (MCP), kernel density distributions (KDE), and local convex hulls (LoCoH). Second, ten data sets from 8 individual snow leopards were combined to cover all 12 months of a year and to generate a general additive mixed model of seasonal home range use and seasonal resource use. We found 1) large variation in home ranges between sites during the monitoring period ranging minimally between 26.1 and 395.3km2 (MCP); 2) Local convex hull home ranges were smaller compared to home ranges based on minimum convex polygons and kernels and yielded more biologically appropriate home range estimates; 3) monthly home ranges of males were larger than females; 4) female monthly home ranges decreased in summer, while male monthly range use remained stable throughout the year; and, 5) while both sexes shared similar habitat preference in winter (steep south-western slopes at high elevation), our data suggest different habitat preferences between sexes in summer. Knowledge of the space use of threatened species is crucial for their conservation, and this is especially true for apex predators who often provide benefits for an entire ecosystem. Our study provides a preliminary understanding of the spatial ecology of this important species in an area of critical conservation concern.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal space use and habitat selection of GPS collared snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in the Mongolian Altai range

Rosenbaum¹,

Poyarkov

Munkhtsog

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…A potentially significant gap between northern and southern populations has been defined in the Dzungarian Basin of northwestern China 17,18 ; however, snow leopards are known to cross long distances between mountain ranges 19,20 . To date, most genetic work on snow leopards has been done using microsatellite markers to estimate population sizes, connectivity, and diversity at mostly small spatial scales [21][22][23][24][25][26] . Using range-wide samples, however, Janečka et al 27 analyzed 33 microsatellite loci and 683 bp of mitochondrial DNA from fecal samples to suggest three snow leopard subspecies-one of them occurring north of the Dzungarian Basin and Gobi Desert and two subspecies south of this divide, separated between the east and west of the Himalayas-Tibetan Plateau complex.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme in Every Way: Exceedingly Low Genetic Diversity in Snow Leopards Due to Persistently Small Population Size

Solari,

Morgan,

Poyarkov

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) serve as an umbrella species whose conservation benefits their high-elevation Asian habitat. Their numbers are believed to be in decline due to numerous Anthropogenic threats; however, their conservation is hindered by numerous knowledge gaps. They are the least studied genetically of all big cat species and little is known about their historic population size and range, current population trends, or connectivity across their range. Here, we use whole genome sequencing data for 41 snow leopards (37 newly sequenced) to assess population connectivity, historic population size, and current levels of genetic diversity. Among our samples, we find evidence of a primary genetic divide between the northern and southern part of the range around the Dzungarian Basin and a secondary divide south of Kyrgyzstan around the Taklamakan Desert. However, we find evidence of gene flow, suggesting that barriers between these groups are permeable. Perhaps most noteworthy, we find that snow leopards have the lowest genetic diversity of any big cat species, likely due to a persistently small population size throughout their evolutionary history. Without a large population size or ample standing genetic variation to help buffer them from any forthcoming Anthropogenic challenges, snow leopard persistence may be more tenuous than currently appreciated.

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“…The snow leopard was listed in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list as an endangered species for 45 years and recently was downgraded to vulnerable status [21,22]. However, the conservation community debates this change in its conservation status from endangered to vulnerable [23,24]. Some conservation scholars believe that only a tiny percentage of the snow leopard global range has been surveyed with reliable scientific methods [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling Potential Distribution of Snow Leopards in Pamir, Northern Pakistan: Implications for Human–Snow Leopard Conflicts

et al. 2021

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The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a cryptic and rare big cat inhabiting Asia’s remote and harsh elevated areas. Its population has decreased across the globe for various reasons, including human–snow leopard conflicts (HSCs). Understanding the snow leopard’s distribution range and habitat interactions with human/livestock is essential for understanding the ecological context in which HSCs occur and thus gives insights into how to mitigate HSCs. In this study, a MaxEnt model predicted the snow leopard’s potential distribution and analyzed the land use/cover to determine the habitat interactions of snow leopards with human/livestock in Karakoram–Pamir, northern Pakistan. The results indicated an excellent model performance for predicting the species’ potential distribution. The variables with higher contributions to the model were the mean diurnal temperature range (51.7%), annual temperature range (18.5%), aspect (14.2%), and land cover (6.9%). The model predicted approximately 10% of the study area as a highly suitable habitat for snow leopards. Appropriate areas included those at an altitude ranging from 2721 to 4825 m, with a mean elevation of 3796.9 ± 432 m, overlapping between suitable snow leopard habitats and human presence. The human encroachment (human settlements and agriculture) in suitable snow leopard habitat increased by 115% between 2008 and 2018. Increasing encroachment and a clear overlap between snow leopard suitable habitat and human activities, signs of growing competition between wildlife and human/livestock for limited rangeland resources, may have contributed to increasing HSCs. A sound land use plan is needed to minimize overlaps between suitable snow leopard habitat and human presence to mitigate HSCs in the long run.

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Assurance of the existence of a trans‐boundary population of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) at Tsagaanshuvuut – Tsagan‐Shibetu SPA at the Mongolia–Russia border

Cited by 7 publications

References 13 publications

Seasonal space use and habitat selection of GPS collared snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in the Mongolian Altai range

Seasonal space use and habitat selection of GPS collared snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in the Mongolian Altai range

Extreme in Every Way: Exceedingly Low Genetic Diversity in Snow Leopards Due to Persistently Small Population Size

Modelling Potential Distribution of Snow Leopards in Pamir, Northern Pakistan: Implications for Human–Snow Leopard Conflicts

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