Research overview: snow leopard refugia in the Mongolian and Gobi ranges
The arid mountains of Mongolia and the Gobi support an important snow leopard population at the dry edge of the species' climate envelope. This overview surveys how warming and changing precipitation interact with already water-limited conditions to influence prey availability and habitat suitability in these ranges, and why some massifs may serve as climate refugia while others become marginal. It discusses mining expansion, livestock grazing, and infrastructure as compounding pressures on climate-stressed habitat. The synthesis highlights why arid-range snow leopard populations are studied as a distinct climate-vulnerability case, given their reliance on isolated mountain blocks separated by inhospitable desert basins.
Species
Category:climate-habitat-change
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