Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on December 21, 2020 released the Status of Leopard in India 2018 report.
- 12,852 leopards in India: India now has 12,852 leopards as compared to the previous estimate of 7910 conducted 2014. More than 60 per cent increase has been recorded in the leopard population over the previous estimate which was conducted in 2014.
- Highest leopard in Madhya Pradesh: The States of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra recorded the highest leopard estimates at 3,421, 1,783 and 1,690 respectively.
- 51,337 leopard photographs: A total of 5,240 adult individual leopards were identified in a total of 51,337 leopard photographs using pattern recognition software. Statistical analysis estimates the leopard population at – 12,800 leopards within the tiger’s range.
- Ranges: The leopard was estimated across forested habitats in tiger range areas of the country but other leopard occupied areas such as non-forested habitats (coffee and tea plantations and other land uses from where leopards are known to occur), higher elevations in the Himalayas, arid landscapes and majority of North East landscape were not sampled and, therefore, the population estimation should be considered as minimum number of leopards in each of the landscapes.
- Tiger as an umbrella species: Tiger has not only served as an umbrella species but even its monitoring has helped evaluate the status of other species, like the leopard. The National Tiger Conservation Authority-Wildlife Institute of India(NTCA-WII) shall be reporting on several other species shortly.
(PIB)
