Just 0.1 per cent of the world’s landmass, yet over 10 per cent of the global snow leopard population, Nepal is a quiet giant fighting for one of nature’s most elusive predators. A survey by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates that Nepal is home to 397 snow leopards, making it home to the fourth largest population of the species.
“We are the second smallest country in snow leopard habitat size after Bhutan, but we hold the fourth largest population,” says Ghana S. Gurung, country representative of WWF Nepal.
Snow leopards inhabit 12 countries across Asia, including Nepal, China, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In Nepal, snow leopards mostly roam the high Himalayan regions along the northern border, which stretch across an estimated 30,500 square kilometres.
WWF Nepal’s Mountain Program Manager, Sarin Shrestha, said the team collected the data by analysing and evaluating multiple studies in collaboration with partner organisations, including WWF. The survey was led by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) under the Ministry of Forests and Environment and the Department of Forest and Soil Conservation.
The presence of snow leopards, even though their tracks, indicates a stable and balanced ecosystem. This historic step in Nepal’s conservation journey paves the way for future conservation policies.
