China steps up snow leopard protection as population reaches 5,000
China has continued to strengthen its network of protected areas in key habitats, establishing two national parks and 78 other protected areas in key regions, TV BRICS reported.
Since systematic conservation efforts began in 2013, China’s snow leopard population has doubled, rising from approximately 2,500 to around 5,000, whilst its range has expanded to approximately 2.08 million square kilometres.
According to China Daily, a TV BRICS partner, citing data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China is currently home to more than 60 per cent of the global snow leopard range and is the country with the largest snow leopard distribution area and population in the world.
The snow leopard, often hailed as the "King of the Mountains", is a Class I specially protected animal in China; its presence is regarded as a key indicator of the integrity, stability and health of mountain ecosystems. Two national parks and 78 other key protected areas have been established in critical habitats, with over 800,000 square kilometres of habitat under strict protection – meaning nearly 40 per cent of the species’ potential habitat is now under regulatory control.
Significant progress has been made in restoring populations in areas where snow leopards had previously disappeared. In the Helan Mountains region, China launched the country’s first snow leopard reintroduction.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported how scientists count Kazakhstan’s snow leopards