Context

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupendra Yadav released the report on the status of leopards in India in New Delhi on February 29, 2024.

Key Points

• The fifth cycle of leopard population estimates was conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India, in collaboration with state forest departments.
• The effort was undertaken as a part of the quadrennial “Monitoring of tigers, predators, prey and their habitat” exercise. This has given momentum to tiger conservation efforts.

Key Findings

• The leopard population in India is estimated at 13,874 (range: 12,616 – 15,132).
• This represents a stable population compared to the same area of 12,852 (12,172–13,535) individuals in 2018.
• This estimate represents 70 percent of the population in the leopard's habitat.
• The Himalayas and semi-arid parts of the country have not been sampled in this exercise, as these are not the habitat of tigers.
• Leopard populations appear to be stable or slightly increasing in central India (2018: 8071, 2022: 8820), with declines observed in the Shivalik Hills and Gangetic plains (2018: 1253, 2022: 1109).
• If we look at the area that was sampled across India in both 2018 and 2022, there has been a growth of 1.08 per cent per annum. In the Shivalik Hills and Gangetic plains, the decline is at -3.4 percent per annum, while the largest growth rate was in Central India and the Eastern Ghats at 1.5 percent.

States with highest leopard population

• Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of leopards in the country - 3907 (2018: 3421), followed by Maharashtra (2022: 1985; 2018: 1,690), Karnataka (2022: 1,879; 2018: 1,783) and Tamil Nadu (2022: 1,070; 2018: 868).

Tiger reserve with highest leopard population

• Nagarjunasagar Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh),
• Panna (Madhya Pradesh),
• Satpura (Madhya Pradesh).

Importance

• These findings underline the important role of protected areas in the conservation of leopard populations.
• It is noteworthy that increasing incidents of conflict create challenges for both leopards and communities.
• Collaborative efforts involving government agencies, conservation organisations, and local communities are necessary to enhance habitat conservation and reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Important Facts For Exam

Panther

• Scientific name: Panthera pardus
• Nocturnal animal
• The size and colour of the leopard depends on its habitat.
• Geographical distribution: Leopards, members of the cat family, are found in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, southern Russia, and the Indian subcontinent.
• The Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is a leopard found widely in the Indian subcontinent.

Habitat

• Rural-agricultural sector
• Forest area
• Near human habitation (both rural and urban)