THE majestic snow leopard is vanishing from Pakistan’s high mountain ranges, and this alarming decline in numbers should concern policymakers and citizens alike. Recent research has revealed that the numbers may have dropped as low as 167. This startlingly small figure makes evident how precarious our conservation efforts remain and how urgently they need strengthening. Conducted over nearly a decade, the Snow Leopard Foundation’s survey used 1,000 cameras and 1,200 genetic samples to produce the country’s first scientific population estimate. This elusive cat roams the Hindukush, Karakoram and Himalayan ranges, across roughly 80,000 sq km of rugged terrain. Yet that lofty domain is shrinking rapidly. Climate change, poaching, prey decline and infrastructure development are converging into an existential threat. Experts warn that erratic snowfall, rising temperatures, glacier melt and shifting weather patterns are forcing snow leopards to move to lower altitudes, where they increasingly come into conflict with humans. When the animal’s natural prey — ibex, markhor and blue sheep — dwindles because of hunting or habitat loss, it turns to livestock. Local herders, already struggling for survival, often retaliate by poisoning or shooting the predator. Meanwhile, new roads, mining projects, unregulated tourism and expanding settlements are fragmenting its pristine habitat and pushing the species closer to extinction.

Why should Pakistan care? The snow leopard is more than a symbol of wilderness; it is a vital indicator of the health of our mountain ecosystems, which feed the rivers that sustain millions downstream. Its disappearance would signal the unravelling of those highland systems that regulate water, biodiversity and climate resilience. The estimate of 167 should spur urgent, coordinated action. Pakistan must expand protected areas, empower local communities through compensation and awareness schemes, invest in scientific monitoring, and integrate climate adaptation into wildlife policy. As the UN reminded the world on International Snow Leopard Day, the time to act — decisively and cooperatively — is now.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2025