A leopard count with a missing benchmark number

Context: As per recently released the Status of leopards in India (SLI) 2018, report, leopard population has increased by 60% in 4 years (since the last survey in 2014).

Issue in leopard population estimation:

• SLI Report covers only 21 states for estimation.
• Exclusionary error: Study focused mostly on forested habitats where tigers are found.
  • Other leopard habitats such as rocky outcrops, smaller dry forests, higher elevation habitats in the Himalayas, agricultural landscapes (coffee, tea, arecanut, sugarcane plantations) where leopards are known to be found in good numbers, were not a part of this exercise.
  • Much of Northeast India was excluded from the study.
• Impact of Base effect: The 2014 study considered only 18 states compared to 21 states considered by 2018 stud; the increase may be because of expansion in coverage of the report, not absolute increase.

Major threats to the leopard population:

• Habitat loss due to mining and quarrying.
• Poaching for body parts,
• Mortality due to vehicular collisions.
• Retaliatory killing due to human-leopard conflict and
• Accidental deaths due to snares set for catching wild prey.

Conclusion: We need a benchmark number against which we can evaluate the trend in leopard numbers and threats to this carnivore. Assessing numbers of cats in select sites and monitoring areas they occupy over swathes will ensure a better overview.