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      Role of Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries in Snow Leopard Conservation : Monasteiesy and Snow Leopard Conservation

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          Abstract

          The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) inhabits the rugged mountains in 12 countries of Central Asia, including the Tibetan Plateau. Due to poaching, decreased abundance of prey, and habitat degradation, it was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1972. Current conservation strategies, including nature reserves and incentive programs, have limited capacities to protect snow leopards. We investigated the role of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in snow leopard conservation in the Sanjiangyuan region in China's Qinghai Province on the Tibetan Plateau. From 2009 to 2011, we systematically surveyed snow leopards in the Sanjiangyuan region. We used the MaxEnt model to determine the relation of their presence to environmental variables (e.g., elevation, ruggedness) and to predict snow leopard distribution. Model results showed 89,602 km(2) of snow leopard habitat in the Sanjiangyuan region, of which 7674 km(2) lay within Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve's core zones. We analyzed the spatial relation between snow leopard habitat and Buddhist monasteries and found that 46% of monasteries were located in snow leopard habitat and 90% were within 5 km of snow leopard habitat. The 336 monasteries in the Sanjiangyuan region could protect more snow leopard habitat (8342 km(2) ) through social norms and active patrols than the nature reserve's core zones. We conducted 144 household interviews to identify local herders' attitudes and behavior toward snow leopards and other wildlife. Most local herders claimed that they did not kill wildlife, and 42% said they did not kill wildlife because it was a sin in Buddhism. Our results indicate monasteries play an important role in snow leopard conservation. Monastery-based snow leopard conservation could be extended to other Tibetan Buddhist regions that in total would encompass about 80% of the global range of snow leopards. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

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              Is Wildlife Going to the Dogs? Impacts of Feral and Free-roaming Dogs on Wildlife Populations

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Conservation Biology
                Conservation Biology
                Wiley
                08888892
                February 2014
                February 2014
                August 30 2013
                : 28
                : 1
                : 87-94
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Center for Nature and Society, College of Life Sciences, Peking University; Beijing 100871 China
                [2 ]Snow Leopard Trust, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue N., Suite 325; Seattle WA 98103 U.S.A.
                [3 ]Shan Shui Conservation Center; Beijing 100871 China
                [4 ]Qinghai Snowland Great Rivers Environmental Protection Association; Xining Qinghai 810012 China
                [5 ]Panthera and Wildlife Conservation Society; 8 W. 40th Street, 18th Floor New York NY 10018 U.S.A.
                [6 ]Nature Conservation Foundation and Snow Leopard Trust; 3076/5, IV Cross Gokulam Park Mysore 570002 India
                [7 ]Panthera; 8 W. 40th Street, 18th Floor New York NY 10018 U.S.A.
                [8 ]Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve; Qinghai Forestry Department; Xining Qinghai China
                [9 ]Chinese Academy of Forestry; Beijing 100091 China
                Article
                10.1111/cobi.12135
                23992599
                dc808453-505f-4553-b5cd-e8407b23e232
                © 2013

                http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1

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