Impact of Climate Change on Snow Leopards in the Himalayas

Abstract

Nowadays, there are no more than 8000 snow leopards worldwide. Habitat loss and habitat fragmentation, reduced prey numbers, etc., have become the main reasons for the decline in snow leopards, leading to the extinction of snow leopards. Many current studies are focusing on the distribution, behavior, and prey of snow leopards and the threats they meet. But even though we know the snow leopards well and have tried our best to protect them, they are still facing some threats, such as climate change. This article studies how climate change acts in the Himalayas, which is the main habitat for snow leopards, the reasons for climate change, and how climate change affects snow leopards. Climate change causes warming, changes in precipitation, and glaciers retreating in the Himalayas. These reduce the area of snow leopards’ territories and decrease the number of prey. Therefore, cubs’ fertility and survival rates decline, exacerbating snow leopards’ extinction.