Snow Leopard Survival Strategy - Panthera

Case Studies
Jennings, M. D. 2000. Gap analysis: concepts, methods,
and recent results. Landscape Ecology 15(1):
5-20.
Kiester, A. R., J. M. Scott, B. Csuti, R. F. Noss, B. Butterfield,
K. Sahr and D. White. 1996. Conservation
prioritization using GAP data. Conservation Biology
10(5):1332-1342.
Sanderson, E.W., K.H. Redford, C.L.B. Chetkiewicz,
R.A. Medellin, A.R. Rabinowitz, J.G. Robinson and
A.B. Taber. 2002. Planning to save a species: the
jaguar as a model. Conservation Biology 16(1):58-
72.
Wikramanayake, E.D., E. Dinerstein, J.G. Robinson,
U. Karanth, A. Rabinowitz, D. Olson, T. Mathew, P.
Hedao, M. Conner, G. Hemley and D. Bolze. 1998.
An ecology-based method for defining priorities
for large mammal conservation: The tiger as case
study. Conservation Biology 12:865-878.
R.6 Agents of habitat degradation and relative impacts:
Habitat loss and degradation in snow leopard range
is most commonly attributed to grazing of domestic livestock.
However, there has been no quantitative analysis
of this and other agents of habitat impacts. If adequate
habitat is to be conserved to support viable populations
of leopards and their prey, these agents need to be listed
and the severity of the impacts on habitat quantified.
Other agents may include mining, roads, pipelines,
trekking/eco-tourism, etc.
Potential Methods
• Review literature on habitat degradation in snow leopard
range.
• Develop a standardized protocol to record habitat degradation
and disturbance (various indexes).
• Assess habitat degradation in selected areas.
• Identify areas where habitat degradation is or has been
particularly important.
Case Studies
Cote, S. D. 1996. Mountain goat responses to helicopter
disturbance. Wildlife Society Bulletin 24(4):
681-685.
Cronin, M. A., H. A. Whitlaw and W. B. Ballard. 2000.
Northern Alaska oil fields and caribou. Wildlife
Society Bulletin 28(4):919-922.
Linnell, J. D. C., J. E. Swenson, R. Andersen and B.
Barnes. 2000. How vulnerable are denning bears
to disturbance? Wildlife Society Bulletin 28(2):
400-413.
Merrill, E. H., T. P.Hemker and K. P.Woodruff. 1994.
Impacts of mining facilities on fall migration of
mule deer. Wildlife Society Bulletin 22(1):68-73.
Schneider, R. R. and S. Wasel. 2000. The effect of human
settlement on the density of moose in northern
Alberta. Journal of Wildlife Management 64(2):
513-520.
Rempel, R. S., P. C. Elkie, A. R. Rodgers and M. J.
Gluck. 1997. Timber-management and naturaldisturbance
effects on moose habitat: Landscape
evaluation. Journal of Wildlife Management 61(2):
17-524.
R.7 Snow leopard – prey relationships:
Our understanding of snow leopard prey preference
and use comes primarily from a few studies in India,
Mongolia, and Nepal. There has been limited effort to
look at predator-prey relationships and often we make
estimates of prey needs based on studies of other carnivores.
The capability of protected areas to support
viable snow leopard populations, when based on nonsnow
leopard predator-prey data, is potentially faulty
and misleading. In addition, snow leopard population
may also put at risk some prey species under poaching.
A thorough investigation of snow leopard-prey relationships
is needed and should include food habits studies
from various parts of the range.
Potential Methods
• Include prey research in snow leopard autoecological
studies.
• Investigate how prey density affects snow leopard
abundance.
• Assess impact of snow leopard predation on prey
population dynamics.
Case Studies
Jobin, A., P. Molinari and U. Breitenmoser. 2000. Prey
spectrum, prey preference and consumption rates
of Eurasian lynx in the Swiss Jura Mountains.
Acta Theriologica 45(2):243-252.
Karanth, K. U. and B. M. Stith. 1999. Prey depletion
as a critical determinant of tiger population
viability. Pages 100-113 in Seidensticker, J., S.
Christie and P. Jackson, editors. Riding the tiger:
Tiger conservation in human-dominated landscapes.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York
& Melbourne.
Molinari-Jobin, A., P. Molinari, C. Breitenmoser-Wursten
and U. Breitenmoser. 2002. Significance of
lynx Lynx lynx predation for roe deer Capreolus
capreolus and chamois Rupicapra rupicapra mortality
in the Swiss Jura Mountains. Wildlife Biology
8(2):109-115.
Oli, M.K. 1994. Snow leopards and blue sheep in
Nepal - densities and predator- prey ratio. Journal
of Mammalogy 75:998-1004.
Ramakrishnan, U., R. G. Coss and N. W. Pelkey. 1999.
Tiger decline caused by the reduction of large
ungulate prey: evidence from a study of leopard
diets in southern India. Biological Conservation
89(2):113-120.
Ross, P. I., M. G. Jalkotzy and M. Festa-Bianchet.
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