Climate Change in the Snow Leopard Landscapes of Asia’s High Mountains

The report projects warming across all six studied snow leopard landscapes in Central Asia, with varying seasonal precipitation changes. Eastern Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan are expected to experience winter warming and wetter monsoons, while South Gobi and Central Tienshan/Sarychat will see summer warming and minimal precipitation increases. The Karakoram-Pamir region is projected to have consistent warming and increased winter precipitation. These shifts are expected to exacerbate risks to snow leopards, including habitat fragmentation, shifting tree lines, and increased human-wildlife conflict.

• All six examined snow leopard landscapes are projected to experience warming as the century progresses, though the seasonal distribution of this warming varies by region.
• In Eastern Nepal, annual mean temperatures are projected to rise by 0.9°C to 1.3°C in the near-term (2011-2040) and 1.9°C to 2.6°C by mid-century (2041-2070), with the most significant warming occurring in March.
• Eastern Nepal is projected to see a significant increase in annual precipitation, rising 1% to 16% in the near-term and 12% to 27% by mid-century, primarily driven by a wetter monsoon season from May through September.
• Sikkim is expected to experience annual precipitation increases of 5% to 17% in the near-term and 9% to 29% by mid-century, with the highest projected increase occurring in May.
• In Bhutan, annual precipitation is projected to increase by 2% to 17% in the near-term and 10% to 30% by mid-century, with a projected increase of 35-40% during the wettest months of June to September.
• The South Gobi region, a climatically dry zone, is projected to see minimal annual precipitation increases of up to 12% in the near-term and 18% by mid-century, with warming most pronounced in the summer months.
• Central Tienshan/Sarychat is projected to see annual precipitation increases of up to 17% in the near-term and between 6% to 23% by mid-century, with the most significant percentage increases occurring in historically dry months from December to February.
• The Karakoram-Pamir Range is projected to experience annual precipitation increases of 2% to 13% in the near-term and 6% to 18% by mid-century, with notable increases in winter months, particularly November and December.
• Climate change is projected to create cascading risks for snow leopards and their prey, including shifting tree lines, changes in seasonal food availability, increased risk of landslides and flooding, and heightened human-wildlife conflict.

APA

Peters, D., Bader, D., McKenna, M., Marconi, B., Shrestha, R., Bartlett, R., Lesk, C., De Mel, M., & Horton, R. (2016). Climate Change in the Snow Leopard Landscapes of Asia’s High Mountains. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/461/pae51it5g_WWF_AHM_Technical_Climate_Report.pdf

Chicago

Peters, Danielle, Daniel Bader, Madeline McKenna, Benjamin Marconi, Rinjan Shrestha, Ryan Bartlett, Corey Lesk, Manishka De Mel, and Radley Horton. Climate Change in the Snow Leopard Landscapes of Asia’s High Mountains. WWF International, 2016. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/461/pae51it5g_WWF_AHM_Technical_Climate_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{peters2016climate, author = {Peters, Danielle and Bader, Daniel and McKenna, Madeline and Marconi, Benjamin and Shrestha, Rinjan and Bartlett, Ryan and Lesk, Corey and De Mel, Manishka and Horton, Radley}, title = {{Climate Change in the Snow Leopard Landscapes of Asia’s High Mountains}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2016}, month = oct, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/461/pae51it5g_WWF_AHM_Technical_Climate_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }