Which Indian region has experienced the steepest decline in leopard numbers according to the survey 2022?

Q. Which Indian region has experienced the steepest decline in leopard numbers according to the survey 2022?

(a) Central India

(b) Eastern Ghats

(c) Shivalik-Gangetic plains

(d) All above

Answer: (c) Shivalik-Gangetic plains

Key Findings:

  • India’s leopard population is estimated at 13,874 (range: 12,616 – 15,132).
  • This indicates a stable population compared to 2018 estimates of 12,852 leopards.
  • Madhya Pradesh has the highest leopard population with 3,907 individuals followed by Maharashtra (1,985) and Karnataka (1,879).
  • Protected areas and tiger reserves like Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (Andhra Pradesh), Panna Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) and Satpura Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) support high densities of leopards.
  • Central India shows a stable or slightly increasing trend. Shivalik-Gangetic plains has seen a 3.4% annual decline between 2018 and 2022.
  • The current leopard census indicates an overall stable population at the national level since 2018. Region-wise, Central India and Eastern Ghats show a modest annual growth rate of 1.5%.

However, the Shivalik-Gangetic landscape has suffered a 3.4% annual decline in leopard numbers.If we consider the specific areas sampled in both 2018 and 2022, a marginal growth rate of 1.08% is noticed. But this doesn’t account for the approximately 30% of leopard habitats not surveyed including arid regions, higher Himalayas and non-forest areas.

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