Lok Sabha Question No. 2585 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-06
Subject: Population of Leopards
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shrirang Appa Barne, Sudheer Gupta, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Bidyut Baran Mahato, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2585

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.03.2020

## Population of Leopards

## 2585.   SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI SANJAY SADASHIV RAO MANDLIK:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST ANDCLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there has been a steep fall in the population of leopards in the country, if so, the details thereof along with the total strength of leopards;
- (b) whether as per a recent study the population of leopards in  India with high genetic variations have declined by 75 to 90 percent;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  factors  responsible  for  such  a  steep  decline  in  the distribution of leopards;
- (d) whether the Government is considering to invest in conservation of leopards on the lines  of  tigers  in  the  country,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  steps  taken  by  the Government in this regard;
- (e) whether a large scale decline in grasslands/scrubland and poaching/illegal killing are the main reasons for the declining number of leopards and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to protect the leopards in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO )

- (a) No, Sir.
- (b), (c) and (e) As per information received from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, a recent  article  published  in  journal  PeerJ  in  February  2020  talks  about leopard population decline (between 75-90%) across different habitats in the  Indian  subcontinent  over  the  last  120-200  years  and  not  the  current declines.

However,  this  study  also  mentions  that  the  magnitude  of  decline  for leopards found in this study is in contrast to some earlier leopard studies in the  subcontinent  (for  example  ecological  work  by  Harihar,  Pandav  & Goyal, 2011, and genetic work by Dutta et al., 2013) which suggest stable or increasing local leopard population trends. This study further mentions that  they  were  unable  to  corroborate  and  support  population  decline patterns with leopard census data.

- (d) and (f) The important  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  protect  leopards  in  the country are as given below:
- i. Leopard is listed in Schedule-I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, thereby, according it highest degree of legal protection from hunting.
- ii. Important habitats of wildlife which includes leopards are designated as national parks/ sanctuaries for their better protection.
- iii. Financial and technical assistance is provided to the States/ Union Territories under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of 'Development of Wildlife Habitat' for providing better protection and conservation of wildlife including leopards and its habitat.
- iv. Leopards  are  co-predators  in  its  habitat  and  most  of  the  leopard habitats in India are also part of tiger reserves. Financial assistance is  provided  to  the  tiger  reserves  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored Scheme, 'Project Tiger', for protection and conservation of tigers and other animals including leopards.

***