Abstract
Understanding the dynamics of snow leopard-human conflicts and the perceptions of local people of the threats posed by snow leopards is important for gaining local support for mitigating the effects of the conflicts. This chapter presents an assessment of the knowledge and perception of local people of livestock losses due to snow leopards in the central and north-eastern Himalayas in Nepal.
In nine settlements in three protected areas (Annapurna Conservation Area—ACA, Manaslu Conservation Area—MCA and Sagarmatha National Park—SNP) we recorded how the perception of local people of snow leopard depredation has changed over time, and its correlation with livestock losses. We carried out questionnaire-based interviews of 1015 households from 2004 to 2016, which included 26.45–100% of all households in the settlements.
Herding of yak/nak (nak is a female yak), sheep/goats and cattle (cows, oxen and horses) were found to be the main sources of livelihood for all households in the villages. Herders reported losses of livestock mainly due to attacks by snow leopard and two other carnivores (wolf and lynx).
Most of the (1.5–14.3%) losses were attributed to snow leopard, while the other predators accounted for meagre 0.16–5.3%. Predator-induced loss was substantial for the local families and reached $349 per household per year.
However, livestock mortality due to other causes (disease or natural disasters) was higher than that attributed to predators. We also evaluated the effectiveness of existing mitigating programmes, designated community-based local mitigation measures, and assessed the subsequent reduction in the level of conflict.
This revealed that the number of conflicts was lower than in 1990, and 50% of the respondents had changed their mind about snow leopard conservation. Surprisingly many respondents (15%) were against the conservation of snow leopards and even considered retaliatory killing of this predator as the best solution.
Of the five snow leopard-human conflict mitigation measures, compensation from a community-based livestock insurance scheme and the improving of animal husbandry were the most popular in all the studied regions. Altogether, 15 human-induced threats to the future survival of snow leopards and its wild prey were identified in two protected areas.
We conclude that there is still a major threat to the long-term survival of snow leopards and its natural prey in the studied areas. Mitigation measures identified during discussions with local people should be applied to create a win–win situation for both local people and the long-term survival of snow leopards.