Status of Leopards in India 2022

Status of Leopards in India 2022

News: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released a report on the Status of Leopards in India 2022.

Background:
• The comprehensive survey covered 20 states, focusing on approximately 70% of the leopards’ expected habitat.

Key Findings:
• India’s leopard population increased by 8% from 12,852 in 2018 to 13,874 in 2022.
• Approximately 65% of leopards are found outside protected areas in the Shivalik landscape. Only onethird of leopards reside within protected areas.
• Shivalik hills and Gangetic plains experienced a decline from 1,253 in 2018 to 1,109 in 2022. The region faces a 3.4% annual decline, contrasting with Central India and Eastern Ghats, which showed a 1.5% growth rate.
• Madhya Pradesh has the highest leopard count (3,907), followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Odisha and Uttarakhand experienced declines from 2018 to 2022.
• Kerala, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Goa witnessed leopard population decline.
• Central India and Eastern Ghats landscape houses the largest growing leopard population due to tiger conservation efforts.
• Leopard densities are higher in Tiger Reserves compared to areas outside Protected Areas, despite tiger regulatory pressure.

Threats:
• Poaching: This includes poaching of prey for bush meat and targeted poaching for tiger and leopard skins and body parts.
• Habitat Loss: This is primarily due to mining and other human activities.
• Road Accidents: Road accidents significantly contribute to leopard fatalities.
• Retaliatory Killings: These occur over livestock depredation.
• Illegal Wildlife Trade
• In Odisha, as many as 59 leopard skins were seized from wildlife smugglers between 2018 and 2023. These threats are critical to address for the long-term viability of leopard populations.