“The population in the last four years is stable, which also indicates the growth is minimal and in comparison to tigers, its population is getting impacted by people in multiple use areas,” said Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change while releasing the report. The Indian leopard, despite being listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, is classified as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN Red List. The leopard population face significant threats including habitat loss, fragmentation, human-wildlife conflict, poaching, and illegal trade. In Central India and Eastern Ghat, Approximately 68% of the leopard population exists outside the Protected Area. Madhya Pradesh holds the largest leopard population in India followed by Maharashtra which signifies that tiger conservation measures are also helping the co-predator’s recovery. More than 65% of the leopard population is present outside the protected areas in the Western Ghats landscape. The site wise leopard population is higher in NagarjunasagarSrisailam, Panna, Sariska, Satpura, Melghat and Kanha Tiger Reserves. The report also underlined genetic diversity among leopards across landscapes, with central India exhibiting the highest diversity. The leopard densities are higher in the Tiger Reserves compared to outside protected areas, despite the fact that tigers exert regulatory pressure on leopards.
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