China News Service, Xining, March 3 (Sun Rui) March 3, 2021 is the 8th "World Wildlife Day".
On the same day, the Qinghai Yuanshangcao Nature Conservation Center authorized the release of the snow leopard survey results at the source of the Yellow River. The population density of snow leopards in the winter gizona area at the source of the Yellow River was 0.56 (±0.14) per 100 square kilometers. There are about 30 snow leopards living here.
Snow leopards are the flagship species and umbrella species for the protection of the mountain ecosystems in Central Asia and the alpine ecosystems of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. They are the top predators in the food chain. They are essential for maintaining the health and biodiversity of the alpine ecosystems. They are also critical to climate change and water conservation. Resource security has an important guiding role.
According to Awang, Secretary-General of the Yuanshangcao Nature Conservation Center of Qinghai Province, starting in 2017, the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the Yuanshangcao Nature Conservation Center of Qinghai Province and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) jointly launched the Yellow River Source Snow Leopard Conservation Project. The aim is to fill the gaps in snow leopard surveys in the headwater area of the Yellow River in the Three Rivers National Park, and to explore protection countermeasures against local snow leopard protection issues and launch actions.
The source area of the Yellow River occupies about one-third of the total area of the source area of the Three Rivers and is also an important snow leopard distribution area. The protection status of the snow leopard population in this area needs to be evaluated urgently.
Although the area of the Yellow River Source Park only accounts for 15.52% of the area of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, the suitable habitats for the snow leopards and their main prey B. vulgaris in the southern and southwestern parts of the Yellow River Source respectively account for the suitable habitats for the snow leopards and B. vulgaris in the entire Sanjiangyuan National Park. 17.08% and 14.08%, so the source area of the Yellow River plays a more important role in maintaining the snow leopard population on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
"From January 2019 to August 2020, we carried out infrared camera snow leopard monitoring in the Donggizona area, and obtained 70,115 photos/segments of photos and videos, including 656 snow leopards/segments. Of all the species recorded at the same time, There are 4 first-level key protected species, 17 second-level key protected species, and 6 threatened and endangered species included in the IUCN Red List." Awang said.
He Bing, the head of the WWF Snow Leopard Project, said that through years of monitoring, it has been found that snow leopards tend to choose shrubs and bare areas that are close to human activities and have large slopes.
At the same time, interviews with local herders also found that some herdsmen were preyed on livestock by snow leopards during the survey. Therefore, snow leopards may use livestock as one of their food sources and then move in areas close to grazing sites.
Awang said that the project is still going on. In the future, it is hoped that relevant scientific research institutions or environmental protection organizations will identify key areas in the source area of the Yellow River, and gradually start snow leopard infrared camera monitoring to form a snow leopard monitoring network in the source area of the Yellow River and improve data quality. (Finish)