Snow Leopard Survival Strategy - Panthera

deer migration. Observations of deer movements near
the mine support previous findings that corridors through
human built obstacles facilitate migration of ungulates.
In areas of high snow accumulation, placement of travel
corridors should take into account factors affecting snow
distribution such as slope, aspect, and wind.
Miller, D. J. and G. B. Schaller. 1997. Conservation
threats to the Chang Tang Wildlife Reserve, Tibet.
Ambio 26(3):185-186.
The authors describe the wildlife and ecosystems found
within the Chang Tang Wildlife Reserve, Tibet. The
Reserve is the second largest protected area in the world
and offers protection to a largely undisturbed rangeland
ecosystem. Threats to this region and its wildlife are
detailed.
Mills, J.A. and P. Jackson. 1994. Killed for a cure: a
review of the worldwide trade in tiger bone. TRAFFIC
Species in Danger report. TRAFFIC, Cambridge, UK.
A focus on the use of Tiger bone as a medicinal, this
review compiles what is known of the status of Tiger
populations, the uses and value of Tiger bone, the extent
to which it is traded globally, and offers recommendations
for Tiger conservation.
Milner-Gulland, E. J., M. V. Kholodova, A. Bekenov,
O. M. Bukreeva, I. A. Grachev, L. Amgalan and A.
A. Lushchekina. 2001. Dramatic declines in saiga
antelope populations. Oryx 35(4): 340-345.
We present new data on the size of all the saiga antelope
populations; three populations of the subspecies Saiga
tatarica tatarica in Kazakhstan, one of S. t. tatarica
in Kalmykia, Russia, and two of S. t. mongolica in
Mongolia. The data suggest that three populations
are under severe threat from poaching and have been
declining at an increasing rate for the last 2-3 years. The
Ustiurt population in Kazakhstan was relatively secure
but is now also under threat. There is evidence of much
reduced conception rates in Kalmykia, probably because
of selective hunting of adult males. The Mongolian
subspecies shows no evidence of recent decline, but is of
concern because of the population’s small size. The cause
of the population declines appears to be poaching for
meat and horns, which is a result of economic collapse in
the rural areas of Kazakhstan and Kalmykia. We suggest
that full aerial surveys be carried out oil the Betpakdala
(Kazakhstan) and Mongolian populations, and that
funding is urgently required for the control of poaching
in all parts of the saiga range.
Mishra, C. 1997. Livestock depredation by large
carnivores in the Indian trans-Himalaya: Conflict
perceptions and conservation prospects. Environmental
Conservation 24(4):338-343.
Livestock depredation by the snow leopard, Uncia
uncia, and the wolf, Canis lupus, has resulted in a
human-wildlife conflict that hinders the conservation
of these globally-threatened species throughout their
range. This paper analyses the alleged economic loss
due to livestock depredation by these carnivores, and
the retaliatory responses of an agro-pastoral community
around Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary in the Indian trans-
Himalaya. The three villages studied (80 households)
attributed a total of 189 livestock deaths (18% of the
livestock holding) over a period of 18 months to wild
predators, and this would amount to a loss per household
equivalent to half the average annual per capita income.
The financial compensation received by the villagers
from the Government amounted to 3% of the perceived
annual loss. Recent intensification of the conflict seems
related to a 37.7% increase in livestock holding in
the last decade. Villagers have been killing the wolf,
though apparently not the snow leopard. A self-financed
compensation scheme, and modification of existing
livestock pens are suggested as area-specific short-term
measures to reduce the conflict. The need to address the
problem of increasing livestock holding in the long run
is emphasized.
Mishra, C. and M. D. Madhusudan. 2002. An incentive
scheme for wildlife conservation in the Indian trans-
Himalaya. Pages 129-135 in T. M. McCarthy and J.
Weltzin, editors Contributed Papers to the Snow Leopard
Survival Strategy Summit. International Snow Leopard
Trust, Seattle, Washington, USA. Available at
http://www.snowleopard.org/sln/
The habitat of the snow leopard Uncia uncia across
South and Central Asia is subject to extensive pastoral
use. Levels of livestock depredation by the snow
leopard and other carnivores in the region are high, and
often provokes retaliatory killing by the herders. This
direct threat to large carnivores is further aggravated
by a depletion of wild prey due to poaching and outcompetition
by livestock. In this paper, we describe a
pilot project in the Indian Trans-Himalaya, which uses
an incentive scheme to create areas free from livestock
grazing on community-owned land, thereby fostering
conservation commitment among local pastoralists, as
well as contributing directly to an enhancement of wild
prey density.
Mishra, C. and T. M. McCarthy. 2002. The role of
incentive schemes in conserving the snow leopard
(Uncia uncia). Presentation at 2002 Society for
Conservation Biology Annual Meeting, Canterbury, UK.
Pastoralists and their livestock share much of the habitat
of the snow leopard Uncia uncia across South and Central
Asia. The levels of livestock predation by the snow
leopard and other carnivores are high, and retaliatory
killing by the herders is a direct threat to carnivore
populations. Depletion of wild prey by poaching and outcompetition
by livestock also poses an indirect threat to
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