http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0115/c90000-20266442.html
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-024-03007-4
Chinese researchers have surveyed snow leopard populations across an area of approximately 360,000 square km on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, estimating a population size of 1,002 of the rare species in the area.
The study was based on existing infrared camera survey data from 12 monitoring sites from 2015 to 2021, during which time four organizations collected nearly 10,000 snow leopard activity records. The results indicate that within the surveyed area, over 110,000 square km are potentially suitable habitats for snow leopards.
The average population density of snow leopards in these habitats is about 0.9 individuals per 100 square km, with an estimated total population of around 1,002 individuals.
Known as the “king of the snow mountains,” the snow leopard is under first-class national protection in China and is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. China is home to about 60 percent of the world’s snow leopard habitats. The Sanjiangyuan area is one of the most densely populated areas for snow leopards in the country and the world.
On the previous global snow leopard population estimate, which was between 7,446 and 7,996 individuals, the estimate in the Sanjiangyuan area in this assessment accounts for more than 10 percent of the world’s snow leopard population.