Status of the snow leopard Panthera uncia in the Qilian Mountains, Gansu Province, China

• Published in: Oryx Vol. 58; no. 2; pp. 255 - 260
• Main Authors: Zhang, Changzhi, Ma, Teng, Ma, Duifang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Accuracy; Camera trapping; Cameras; Capture-recapture studies; China; Climate change; Deer; density; Grasslands; Livestock; Mountains; Panthera uncia; Population density; Population statistics; Predation; Qilian Mountains; snow leopard; spatially explicit capture–recapture; Threatened species; Wildlife conservation; Wildlife management; Gansu China; Asia; China; density; Qilian Mountains; China; snow leopard; Panthera uncia; Camera trapping; spatially explicit capture–recapture
• ISSN: 0030-6053; 1365-3008
• DOI: 10.1017/S0030605323000340

Population density estimation is integral to the effective conservation and management of wildlife. The snow leopard Panthera uncia is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and reliable information on its density is a prerequisite for its conservation and management. Little is known about the status of the snow leopard in the central and eastern Qilian Mountains, China. To address this, we estimated the population density of the snow leopard using a spatially explicit capture–recapture model based on camera trapping in Machang in the central and eastern Qilian Mountains during January–March 2019. We set up 40 camera traps and recorded 84 separate snow leopard captures over 3,024 trap-days. We identified 18 individual snow leopards and estimated their density to be 2.26/100 km2. Our study provides baseline information on the snow leopard and the first population estimate for the species in the central and eastern Qilian Mountains.