# data[].attributes.body
Ecosystem includes:
High alpine mountains; grass that  dominates most of the landscape; supports a high density of animals; types of grasslands include Tropical, Temperate, & Savannah grassland biomes with scattered trees

# data[].attributes.body
Many parts in the continent of Asia, including China, India, Nepal & Bhutan, near the Tibetan Plateau.

# data[].attributes.body
For the Himalayan's, it's usually cold with the weather being snow and temperatures ranging from 37.4 - 95 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, and raging from -4 to -31 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter.

# data[].attributes.body
Many diverse organisms live in the biome, including different grasses and trees, herbivores and carnivores, and is home to the most diverse group of species living on earth, such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, deer, sheep, lions, leopards and rhinoceros, as well as many types of different insects and birds.

# data[].attributes.headline
Threatened Keystone Species: Snow Leopard

# data[].attributes.subject
Threatened Keystone Species: Snow Leopard

# data[].attributes.body
The snow leopard is considered a keystone predator species, meaning that they keep the prey populations in check. They are essential to their ecosystem. They are considered endangered due to causes such as poaching (illegal selling and trading), climate change that affects the temperature of the area, and the result of retaliation against farmers as a result of losing their livestock.

# data[].attributes.body
Image source #1: https://geographytweed.weebly.com/location-map--size.html

Image source #2: https://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/7KhpdbL6EHvyGWovPzepAN/Climate-change-is-moving-mountains-study.html

Image source #3:
https://sites.google.com/site/biomesmohammedbrandon/home/biome-types/grasslands

Image source #4:
https://wallpapercave.com/w/rNDGj0c

# data[].attributes.body
Known as one of the world's biodiversity hot-spots; holds 500 species of orchids, 100 species of primulas and rhododendrons, 10,000 plant species (3,160 are endemic), 980 bird species, 300 mammal species and other types of biodiversity in the area such as amphibians (frogs), fish, and reptiles

Sources:
1. https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/himalaya/species

2. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/10/the-himalayas-amazing-biodiversity/#:~:text=It%20is%20now%20known%20as,%2C%20tigers%2C%20and%20red%20pandas.

# data[].attributes.headline
Animals That Are Specific to This Ecosystem

# data[].attributes.subject
Animals That Are Specific to This Ecosystem

# data[].attributes.body
Animals that define this ecosystem are the snow leopards, the red pandas, black rhinos, blue sheep, the royal Bengal tigers, alpine ibexes, the yaks, Himalayan Marmots, Himalayan Thar and the Himalayan Black Bears.

Text source: https://www.insidehimalayas.com/wildlife-himalayas-might-see/

Image source: https://blog.shantitravel.com/en/thematic-travel/adventure-discovery/the-great-himalayan-national-park-new-natural-heritage-site-india.htm

# data[].attributes.headline
Plants That Are Specific to This Ecosystem

# data[].attributes.subject
Plants That Are Specific to This Ecosystem

# data[].attributes.body
Vegetation in this ecosystem includes Bermudan grasses, elephant grasses, shrubs, baobab trees, rhododendron, mosses, lichens, screw pine trees, and palm trees.

Text source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Himalayas/Plant-life

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron_fastigiatum

# data[].attributes.body
A photograph of a screw pine tree atop the Himalayan mountains. This is one example of a plant that is located in this biome.

Image source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Himalayas/Plant-life

# data[].attributes.body
Clockwise from left: Himalayan black bear, Himalayan Tahr, snow leopard, Himalayan marmot, black necked Tibetan crane, red panda.

Image source: https://www.tourmyindia.com/treks/news/animals-of-himalayas.html

# data[].attributes.headline
Type of Keystone Species in the Ecosystem:

# data[].attributes.subject
Type of Keystone Species in the Ecosystem:

# data[].attributes.body
Snow leopards are apex keystone predators, meaning that they keep the prey population in check; consumes the weak and sick prey so that the healthy prey is more prominent in the ecosystem. The blue sheep (Bharal, pictured below), is one of the animals that the cat preys on and allows the species to thrive in the environment. Their prey also includes marmots, the ibex, and even a small amount of vegetation.

These animals boast grey and yellow fur with rosettes that are unique to them, along with having short front legs and long back legs so that they can be more efficient when hunting. They use these characteristics as an advantage to successfully hunt their prey.

Snow leopards are considered essential to their environment; as long as they are present in the biome, the whole ecosystem will thrive with vegetation & other species alike.

Image source: https://www.naturephoto-cz.com/bharal,-himalayan-blue-sheep,-naur-photo-19007.html

# data[].attributes.headline
Population Number of Snow Leopard Before The Species Became Endangered

# data[].attributes.subject
Population Number of Snow Leopard Before The Species Became Endangered

# data[].attributes.body
Experts and scientists don't quite know the original number of snow leopards that were present in the biome before they were listed as endangered on the ICUN Red List of Endangered Species in 1986.

It is very likely that snow leopard populations were prominent during the majority of the 20th century,

# data[].attributes.body
Snow leopards face the threats of poaching (illegal trading), retaliatory killings from farmers that lose their livestock, & climate change, which are the causes of the declining numbers of these species

Poaching is when hunters illegally hunt for wild animals, capturing them and killing them. This is one of the main threats to snow leopards. Their body parts are salvaged and used to sell traditional Chinese medicine.

Retaliatory killing is also one of the main causes of their numbers declining. Snow leopards will search for animals throughout their region, and if they can find their prey, they will search out and look for livestock living in farms. The loss of these animals can have devastating effects on the farmers. This causes farmers to then retaliate against them and ultimately kill them. 55% of snow leopard killings occur in retaliation for attacks on livestock, according to Mary Jo DiLonardo and TRAFFIC.

Climate change is another threat to these species. Since they live in a cold environment, they usually live around snowy areas in their ecosystem. Half of the world’s remaining snow leopards live in the Tibetan plateau, and the area has become over 3 degrees warmer in the last few decades. It can create problems for snow leopards, such as being unable to blend in with their environments, resulting in snow leopards having a hard time camouflaging and through mimicry and hunting for prey populations to be a difficult task.

Source: https://www.treehugger.com/are-snow-leopards-endangered-5072563#citation-1

# data[].attributes.body
According to the Panthera-Uncia Snow Leopard website, reports by the Snow Leopard Survival Strategy show that snow leopard populations have decreased by 20% over the last few generations due to the aforementioned threats. Numbers declined from 5,000 - 7,000 to 4,000 - 6,000 snow leopards in the wild today (Jackson et al., 2008).

However, little information is known about the historical population distribution of the species. Population numbers continue to decrease for these species.

Text & Image Source: https://panthera-snowleopard.weebly.com/population-growth.html

# data[].attributes.headline
Current Population Numbers of Snow Leopards

# data[].attributes.subject
Current Population Numbers of Snow Leopards

# data[].attributes.body
There is an estimate that around 4,080 - 6,590 are present in Asia in as of 2021 in Asia, according to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). 2,710 - 3,386 mature individuals have been recorded in 2016, according to the ICUN website.

Four decades later, Snow leopards were removed from the endangered list and were reclassified as threatened species on the ICUN Red List in 2017, a step down from being endangered, but their population is still decreasing and these species still face risks of extinction.

Source 1:  https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/snow-leopard

Source 2: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22732/50664030

Image source: https://sites.google.com/site/snowleopardar2016/endangered-species

# data[].attributes.headline
Other Species Affected by the Decline of Snow Leopards

# data[].attributes.subject
Other Species Affected by the Decline of Snow Leopards

# data[].attributes.body
Most of the snow leopard's prey, such as the ibex & sheep, would be affected by the decline of snow leopards. Snow leopards always keep the population in check, meaning that there is a balance between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores in the ecosystem.

However, if snow leopards were to go extinct, there would be an ecological imbalance within their ecosystem. For example, herbivore populations would rise, meaning that the vegetation in the area could change. That could stop carnivores and omnivores from consuming animals that have meat, and they wouldn't be able to eat their prey, meaning that their numbers can decline and herbivore populations would increase, which in the long run could affect herbivores, and quite possibly their numbers will decrease.

Text source: https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/wildlife/snow-leopards

Image source: https://wwf.ca/species/snow-leopards/

# data[].attributes.headline
Overall Effects on the Ecosystem Due to the Decline of Snow Leopards

# data[].attributes.subject
Overall Effects on the Ecosystem Due to the Decline of Snow Leopards

# data[].attributes.body
As stated before, snow leopards are essentially the leader of their ecosystem; since they're considered endangered, it has affected the ecosystem in many ways.

Prey population numbers have declined because of hunters within the area. They usually hunt for wild deer and sheep, and when these wild animals are killed, it makes it more difficult for these snow leopards to hunt for prey, making it harder to survive, adding to the causes of snow leopards becoming endangered.

More humans have moved into the snow leopard's domain, building homes, farms, factories and infrastructure. This cuts down on the amount of land snow leopards can use for searching their prey in wide ranges, and trees are cut down because of humans, limiting shelter for the species overall. This causes habitat loss for the species due to agriculture and other human causes.

Text source: https://www.treehugger.com/are-snow-leopards-endangered-5072563#citation-1

# data[].attributes.body
Despite these issues, there are some solutions and steps we can take to help snow leopard populations maintain a consistent level.

Countries in Asia, such as China, Nepal, and Bhutan, are passing laws that prohibit the effects of poaching snow leopards. The WWF also works with communities in the Himalaya's that offer insurance plans to farmers. According to Mary Jo Leonardo, the WWF and these Himalayan communities will “cover livestock deaths to dissuade farmers from retaliating and killing the big cats” (DiLonardo).

Likewise, joining with organisations like the WWF and the Snow Leopard Trust are great ways to help these pertain these species, as they allow most people to recognize these species and prompt them to donate and spread awareness about the species. Adopting a snow leopard is also a great way to preserve these species, as the funds based on the merchandise are directed to the protection of the cat.

Text source 1:  https://www.treehugger.com/are-snow-leopards-endangered-5072563#citation-1

Text source 2: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/snow-leopards.php#Why_Are_Snow_Leopards_Important

Image source: https://www.adoptananimal.uk.com/charities/wwf-animal-adoptions/adopt-a-snow-leopard/

# data[].attributes.headline
Comeback of Snow Leopards Based on These Plans

# data[].attributes.subject
Comeback of Snow Leopards Based on These Plans

# data[].attributes.body
If more organizations and countries take these steps to ensure that the snow leopards have a healthy population, then snow leopards will be able to thrive, their numbers will increase, and overall, it would drastically help with the living biodiversity in the area, providing the resources for residents that live in the region, and benefiting the entire biome, allowing the ecosystem to flourish.

# data[].attributes.headline
How Long It Would Take to Help Increase Their Population Numbers

# data[].attributes.subject
How Long It Would Take to Help Increase Their Population Numbers

# data[].attributes.body
For the snow leopard to maintain a healthy population, it would most likely takes 5-10 years to make that happen. It would be a long process, but if people continued to spread awareness, donate to charity and organizations, and limited the amount of agriculture in the Himalayan mountains, then snow populations would most likely increase by a good amount. Populations would increase by at least 30% - 40% if more people continue to do these factors.

# data[].attributes.headline
Populations That Would Be Affected By Increases In Snow Leopard Populations

# data[].attributes.subject
Populations That Would Be Affected By Increases In Snow Leopard Populations

# data[].attributes.body
Practically, all prey populations in the biome would be affected in significant ways. For example, if there is a sick or weak species in the environment, then the snow leopard would be able to prey & get rid of that specimen and it would prevent the risks of their genes being passed on from generation to the next generation.

The ibex, sheep, and deers within the are will thrive along with the snow leopard in the area, and as long as snow leopards are present, the entire ecosystem will thrive altogether.

Text source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/snow-leopard#:~:text=Snow%20leopards%20have%20powerful%20legs,rarely%20seen%20in%20the%20wild.

Image source: http://saveourgreen.org/allpost/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/GHNP-animal.jpg

# data[].attributes.headline
Signs That the Ecosystem is Back To a Stable State 

# data[].attributes.subject
Signs That the Ecosystem is Back To a Stable State 

# data[].attributes.body
Since snow leopards are now considered threatened species, that means their population numbers have increased, but only very slightly. But, this slight change can turn into a big change if snow leopard populations went up.

Resources would be more widely available for the residents that live within the region. Snow leopards provide many environmental benefits for the ecosystem, which in turn, allows herbivore populations to thrive and the vegetation in the area to thrive as well. The landscape also provides food and other important resources to be accessible for people that live in the region, which includes wood, shelter, medicine and fuel, according to the WWF. The ecosystem would be a much nicer environment to be in because of all the fresh vegetation in the ecosystem, which would allow for a nicer environment.

Overall, the Himalayan mountain region is home to thousands of different organisms, such as plants and flowers, and it allows for a beautiful place of living biodiversity in Asia. And by maintaining snow leopard and other keystone species, it will allow for the entire biome to thrive, meaning that the ecosystem would continue to stay active throughout the years.

Text source: https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/wildlife/snow-leopards

Image source: https://awakeandempoweredexpo.com/sites/default/files/dean%20thomas%20himalays.jpg