Snow leopards, which disappeared from Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) in the 1960s, returned to the Everest region in the early 2000s. Will this re-established population serve as source for re-colonizing adjacent areas? Are these remote highlands suitable corridor for dispersing snow leopards? We have little information to address these management-questions. The corridor project is collecting information on snow leopard and its habitat from Everest (east Nepal), the adjoining valleys in Rolwaling, and Annapurna in west Nepal.

The aim is to initiate corridor modelling and conservation at the landscape level. Because no protected areas in Nepal are large enough in themselves to contain viable snow leopard populations, Nepal Government’s snow leopard conservation program envisages a landscape conservation approach. Over 65% of Nepal’s snow leopards, estimated at 300-500, are reported to reside outside of protected areas. This project will identify the best snow leopard locales and dispersal routes. Because we will be initiating dialogues with herders, religious leaders, and other important community members, the project will help establish and initiate pilot conservation initiatives, with assistance from in-country conservation agencies.

The project will ultimately develop a robust model for predicting, mapping, and prioritizing corridors connecting core snow leopard populations within and beyond Nepal’s protected areas network.