India Marks International Snow Leopard Day 2025 with #23for23 Initiative

1. Context and Occasion

• Date Observed: 23rd October 2025

• Event: International Snow Leopard Day

• Organised by: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)

• Key Leader: Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change

2. Theme & Initiative – ‘#23for23’

• Concept: Encouraged citizens to engage in 23 minutes of physical activity (like walking, yoga, running, etc.) to promote awareness about snow leopard conservation.

• Objective:

  • To symbolically connect “23 minutes” with “2023 International Year of Millets” and 2023’s focus on conservation fitness.

  • To involve citizens, institutions, students, and even the Indian Army in conservation awareness.

• Focus: Citizen participation and awareness for snow leopard and habitat conservation.

3. Key Highlights

• India celebrated the day nationwide, showing the collective responsibility towards wildlife protection.

• Shri Yadav lauded the efforts of:

  • Local communities in Himalayan regions,

  • Research institutions, and

  • Security forces (Indian Army) for their role in protecting fragile ecosystems.

4. First-ever Snow Leopard Census of India

• Conducted by: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) with Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and partner states.

• Purpose: To get a scientific estimate of the snow leopard population and distribution in India.

• Result:

  • Total recorded: 718 individual snow leopards across the Indian Himalayas.

  • Regional distribution:

    • Ladakh: 477 (largest population)

    • Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir – remaining population.

5. Conservation Significance

• Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia):

  • Also called the “Ghost of the Mountains.”

  • An apex predator and indicator species for high-altitude ecosystem health.

  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

  • Listed in:

    • Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

    • CITES Appendix I

6. India’s Conservation Efforts

• Under PM Narendra Modi’s Leadership, conservation programmes have shown positive outcomes.

• Key Programmes & Initiatives:

  1. Project Snow Leopard (PSL):

     • Launched in 2009.

     • Aims at conserving high-altitude ecosystems through community participation.

  2. SECURE Himalaya Project:

     • Joint initiative of MoEFCC and UNDP (funded by Global Environment Facility – GEF).

     • Focus on sustainable livelihood and conservation in snow leopard landscapes.

  3. GSLEP (Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme):

     • Launched in 2013 in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).

     • A multinational alliance of 12 snow leopard range countries, including India.

     • Aims to secure 20 snow leopard landscapes by 2020 and beyond.

  4. Community-based Conservation:

     • Engaging local communities in eco-tourism, livelihood diversification, and habitat restoration.

7. Ecological Importance of Snow Leopards

• Role: Keystone species of the Himalayan ecosystem.

• Function: Maintains ecological balance by regulating herbivore populations.

• Habitat: Harsh alpine and subalpine zones (altitude: 3,000–5,500 meters).

• Range in India:

  • Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh.

8. Challenges in Conservation

• Habitat fragmentation and degradation due to infrastructure and tourism.

• Human-wildlife conflict (livestock depredation).

• Poaching for fur and bones.

• Climate change, leading to shifting vegetation and prey loss.

• Limited scientific data due to difficult terrain.

9. Way Forward / Government’s Vision

• Strengthen science-based monitoring through camera trapping and genetic studies.

• Expand protected areas and wildlife corridors.

• Integrate local community participation in decision-making.

• Promote transboundary cooperation under GSLEP.

• Encourage eco-sensitive tourism and awareness initiatives like #23for23.

10. UPSC Relevance

Prelims:

• Snow Leopard habitat and status (IUCN, Schedule I, CITES Appendix I)

• Project Snow Leopard, SECURE Himalaya, GSLEP initiatives

• Locations of snow leopard population in India

Mains (GS Paper 3 – Environment & Biodiversity):

• Government initiatives for wildlife conservation

• Community participation in conservation

• Role of science and monitoring in species protection

• Human-wildlife conflict in Himalayan ecosystems

11. Quick Facts