Role of Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries in Snow Leopard Conservation

JUAN LI, DAJUN WANG, HANG YIN, DUOJIE ZHAXI, ZHALA JIAGONG, GEORGE B. SCHALLER, CHARUDUTT MISHRA, THOMAS M. MCCARTHY, HAO WANG, LAN WU, LINGYUN XIAO, LAMAO BASANG, YUGUANG ZHANG, YUNYUN ZHOU and ZHI LU

Abstract

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) inhabits the rugged mountains in 12 countries of Central Asia, including the Tibetan Plateau. Due to poaching, decreased abundance of prey, and habitat degradation, it was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1972. Current conservation strategies, including nature reserves and incentive programs, have limited capacities to protect snow leopards. We investigated the role of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in snow leopard