Snow Leopards found year-round in Jammu & Kashmir, offering new hope for high-altitude conservation: Report

These findings reaffirm the importance of Jammu and Kashmir as a key snow leopard stronghold. Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement

A new study by the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and Wildlife Protection Department of Jammu & Kashmir has confirmed year-round presence and breeding activity of snow leopards in the Union Territory. It marks a significant breakthrough for high-altitude biodiversity conservation in India.

Conducted between 2022 and 2025 across the Kishtwar Himalayas, this effort was launched under the nationwide Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) protocol.

While earlier years confirmed the presence of snow leopards in the Union Territory for the first time, the 2024-25 phase brought new insights - recording snow leopards during winter months in both Paddar (Jammu division) and Zojila (Kashmir division). This suggests year-round use of the landscape, a critical indicator of stable habitat and a resident population.

Over 3,000 camera trap nights across Kishtwar High Altitude National Park (KHANP), Paddar, and Zojila resulted in the identification of at least 12 adult snow leopards, with an estimated presence of up to 20 individuals. Notably, the presence of at least a mother with cubs in Kishtwar confirms that this is a breeding population.

"These findings reaffirm the importance of Jammu and Kashmir as a key snow leopard stronghold. It is time to treat the Kishtwar Himalayas not as isolated valleys, but as part of an interconnected conservation landscape," said Dr Shahid Hameed, Wildlife Research and Project Coordinator at NCF.

"Much of the credit must go to the continued commitment of the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Department to conserve their high-altitude homes," he added.

The survey was supported by Royal Enfield Social Mission as part of its ongoing commitment to the conservation of keystone species and critical landscapes in the Himalayan ecosystems.

Vigyat Singh, director - Operations, Eicher Group Foundation, the CSR arm of Royal Enfield said, "We are committed to the long-term conservation of keystone species like the snow leopard across the Indian Himalayan region through community-led action and sustained ecological research. This study is a significant example of what can be achieved when scientific rigour, local stewardship, and institutional collaboration come together. Snow leopards are more than just an indicator species - conserving their habitat reflects the overall health and resilience of high-altitude ecosystems."

Beyond snow leopards, the study also documented 16 mammal species, including the rare Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan wolf, common leopard, Kashmir musk deer, stone marten, pika, Asiatic ibex, and red fox. In some instances, both snow leopards and common leopards were detected at the same camera locations in Paddar, raising important questions about species interactions and the possible impact of climate change on range shifts.

The survey also included a landscape-level threat assessment based on interviews with over 300 households across Paddar, Warwan, Dacchan and Marwah. Livestock depredation and crop damage emerged as major challenges impacting the primary livelihood of the locals, with a need for more context-specific mitigation strategies. These losses shape community attitudes towards wildlife and demand the need for conflict resolution interventions.

As part of the community engagement efforts, the team conducted six outreach workshops, in collaboration with the Wildlife Research & Conservation Foundation (WRCF), reaching over 1,200 participants, including students and frontline forest staff. These sessions included biodiversity awareness and demonstrations of field equipment, mock drills for handling human-wildlife conflict, and hands-on conservation education.

The report underscores the need for landscape-level, adaptive conservation strategies, in line with the vision of Project Snow Leopard and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which places strong emphasis on the role of local communities in conservation.