Habitat requirements of snow leopard and the level of landscape connectivity of Nepal and Tibet

Habitat requirements of snow leopard and the level of landscape connectivity of Nepal and Tibet Abstract This master's thesis deals with the issues of assessing habitat requirements of animals and the level of landscape connectivity for their movement. This dynamically developing branch of biogeography has a great potential for application in answering questions about species' conserving and for the understanding of landscape as functionally interconnected complex. In review part of this thesis there are summarized theoretical basics and practical methods of evaluating the level of landscape connectivity. Second part presents the analysis of habitat requirements of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the level of landscape connectivity of mountainous regions of Nepal and adjacent regions of India and Tibet for its movement. This rare felidae predator is endangered by increasing intensity of human activities in its geographic range as well as by global climate change, which leads to reduction of area of suitable habitat and its fragmentation. For effective conservation of this species it is necessary to understand snow leopard's living requirements and to delineate key areas for its survival. Results of the analysis are discussed with other published researches concerning this topic in final part of this..