Context: Sadyr Zhaparov, the president of Kyrgyzstan signed a decree to declare the snow leopard as the national symbol of Kyrgyzstan.

About Snow Leopard

• Scientific Name: Panthera uncia
• Indicator Species: Due to their position as the top predator in the food web, they act as an indicator of the health of the mountain ecosystem in which they live.
• Habitat: The snow leopard inhabits the mountains of central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, ranging from an elevation of about 1,800 metres (about 6,000 feet) in the winter to about 5,500 metres (18,000 feet) in the summer.
  • The snow leopard’s habitat extends through twelve countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
  • Geographical range in India:
    • Western Himalayas: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh.
    • Eastern Himalayas: Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
    • Hemis National Park (Ladakh) has a good presence of Snow Leopard and is also known as the Snow Leopard Capital of the world.

• Protection Status:

  • IUCN Status: Vulnerable.Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
  • Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES): Appendix I.
  • It is also listed in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

Global Conservation Measures: 

• Project Snow Leopard (PSL): It was launched in 2009 to promote an inclusive and participatory approach to conserving snow leopards and their habitat. 
• Snow Leopard is on the list of 21 critically endangered species for the recovery program of the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change.
• SECURE Himalaya: Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded the project on the conservation of high-altitude biodiversity and reducing the dependency of local communities on the natural ecosystem.
• Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme: India has also been part of the (GSLEP) Programme since 2013.
• The Government of India has identified the snow leopard as a flagship species for the high-altitude Himalayas.

Must Read: Snow Leopard Population Assessment

News Source: DTE