On the snow leopard Trails: Occupancy pattern and implications for management in the Pamir

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Wildlife Management

Background:

• Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) inhabit the 'third pole,' a challenging environment with vast, underexplored ranges.
• Understanding species distribution is critical for effective conservation and management strategies.
• Remote terrain and socio-ecological factors pose significant barriers to snow leopard research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate snow leopard distribution patterns in the Pamir Mountain range.
• To identify factors influencing snow leopard occupancy using sign-based occupancy modeling.
• To provide data-driven insights for snow leopard conservation in the region.

Main Methods:

• Utilized sign-based occupancy modeling to assess snow leopard presence.
• Analyzed the influence of topographic features on detection probability.
• Examined the impact of environmental variables (precipitation, roads, water sources) on occupancy.

Main Results:

• Confirmed the Pamir range as a snow leopard stronghold with an estimated occupancy of 0.57 ± 0.02.
• Topographic features positively influenced snow leopard detection probability (p = 0.37 ± 0.005).
• Occupancy was negatively influenced by mean annual precipitation (β = -6.12 ± 1.8) and road density (β = -1.61 ± 0.6), and positively by water sources (β = 0.74 ± 0.4).

Conclusions:

• Sign-based surveys offer robust data for studying elusive species like snow leopards.
• Findings support redefining protected area boundaries based on ecological data.
• Transboundary cooperation is essential for landscape-scale snow leopard conservation.