Snow Leopard Conservation Action Plan for Bhutan (2018–2023).

This Plan outlines a comprehensive strategic national framework for the conservation of snow leopards and their high-altitude ecosystems in Bhutan. Adopting a climate-integrated landscape approach, the Plan seeks to ensure the long-term survival of this flagship species while maintaining the ecological integrity of the Himalayas, which provide essential water and ecosystem services to millions of people downstream.
The Plan identifies critical threats, including habitat degradation, climate change, prey depletion, and increasing human-wildlife conflict resulting from livestock depredation. It prioritizes evidence-based management, leveraging data from the National Snow Leopard Survey (2014–2016) to designate high-priority conservation zones. These efforts are designed to bridge the gap between biological conservation and the socio-economic needs of local pastoralist communities.
Specifically, the Plan focuses on five pillars: enhancing scientific research and monitoring, improving anti-poaching and law enforcement, implementing community-based livestock insurance schemes, and restoring high-altitude rangelands. By fostering transboundary cooperation and integrating climate resilience into park management, Bhutan aims to stabilize snow leopard populations and mitigate the impacts of warming alpine environments on both wildlife and human livelihoods.