Comments on “Spatial Utilization and Microhabitat Selection of the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) under Different Livestock Grazing Intensities”

Abstract

Large expanses of snow leopard habitat overlap with extensively used areas for livestock grazing. A fundamental question for conservationists is to determine whether livestock production can be reconciled with the conservation of rare and threatened large carnivores. Therefore, numerous studies focus on the relationship between carnivore densities and space use and environmental, anthropogenic, and topographic variables. Using snow leopard sign surveys in areas with high and low grazing disturbance, Hong et al. posit that livestock grazing directly impacts fine-scale habitat selection by snow leopards. The authors recommend controlling livestock grazing to help restore habitat complexity and alpine environment diversity. However, the approach by which Hong et al. have reached this conclusion is inadequate and is based on a methodology that fails to address the research question appropriately. We argue that 1) identification of a biologically relevant scale of study is the first essential step toward inferring carnivore–habitat relationships, 2) the authors draw inconsistent conclusions from their data on sign densities in high and low grazing disturbance areas, 3) ideally, the snow leopard–livestock relationship needs to be examined across a gradient of livestock grazing intensities and at multiple spatial scales, and 4) it is inappropriate to draw conclusions for landscape/regional scales from a study conducted at a finer and undefined scale. We suggest that future studies should clearly define the scale of the study, identify appropriate habitat variables of interest, and use meaningful measurement instruments to serve as proxies for variables of interest.