Nidhi Singh and Anju Singh

Climate change is reshaping montane ecosystems in ways that critically threaten the survival of high-altitude mammals, particularly the snow leopard (Panthera uncia). This study synthesizes evidence from ecological datasets, climate reports, and comparative case studies to examine how rising temperatures, glacial retreat, and shifting vegetation zones drive severe habitat compression in Himalayan and Central Asian mountain ranges. Results show that increasing warming averaging 0.3°C per decade pushes alpine meadows and prey species to higher elevations, reducing the snow leopard’s viable range by nearly one third since 1980. This compression intensifies prey competition, increases fasting and cub mortality, and forces predators into human dominated landscapes, escalating livestock predation and conflict with pastoral communities. The findings highlight the interconnected ecological and socio- political consequences of climate driven habitat loss and emphasize the need for integrated conservation strategies combining climate adaptive management, habitat connectivity, and community-based conflict mitigation. Overall, the study underscores that safeguarding montane biodiversity requires urgent multi scalar interventions responsive to rapidly shifting climate baselines.

DOI: 10.22271/23940522.2023.v10.i5a.1146

Pages: 58-60  |  83 Views  41 Downloads