Gangtok: India’s first-ever Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) has confirmed Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh as key habitats of the elusive high-altitude predator, documenting 21 and 36 snow leopards respectively.
The landmark findings—released on January 30, 2024—mark the country’s first systematic and scientific estimate of its snow leopard population.
Conducted between 2019 and 2023, SPAI estimated 718 snow leopards across the Indian Himalayan region. Ladakh accounted for the highest numbers with 477 individuals, followed by Uttarakhand (124), Himachal Pradesh (51), Arunachal Pradesh (36), Sikkim (21) and Jammu & Kashmir (9).
The assessment covered nearly 1.2 lakh sq km of potential snow leopard habitat, making it one of India’s largest wildlife monitoring efforts. Survey teams walked 13,450 km of transects for sign surveys and deployed 1,971 camera traps, resulting in 1.8 lakh trap nights and the identification of 241 individual snow leopards.
The study used a rigorous two-stage method—mapping distribution through occupancy-based sampling and estimating abundance via stratified camera-trap surveys. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) led the coordination in partnership with all snow leopard range states and local conservation organisations.
With SPAI establishing India’s first reliable population benchmark, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched SPAI 2.0 during Wildlife Week 2025. The next phase aims to strengthen scientific monitoring, structured assessments and community participation across high-altitude landscapes.
Snow leopard conservation receives central support under the Species Recovery Programme of the Development of Wildlife Habitats scheme. The species is among 24 priority animals identified for targeted protection. SPAI now forms the foundation for an expanded conservation action plan focused on long-term monitoring and community engagement.
Under the National Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Priorities (NSLEP), the Ministry has prioritised initiatives such as Project Snow Leopard (PSL)—developed in consultation with Himalayan states—and SECURE Himalaya, which integrates wildlife protection with livelihood support for mountain communities.
Snow leopards are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, offering them the highest level of legal protection. India’s conservation strategy emphasises securing high-altitude habitats through stronger protected-area management, landscape-level planning and community stewardship.
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Large portions of snow leopard terrain are safeguarded through biosphere reserves such as the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in Himachal Pradesh—part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves—along with Nanda Devi and Khangchendzonga biosphere reserves.
The Ministry noted that long-term protection of high-altitude ecosystems depends on preventing habitat degradation, improving landscape-level management, and ensuring coordinated scientific monitoring in collaboration with state governments and conservation agencies.
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