At Hemis National Park, situated in the high-altitude region of the Himalayas, conservationists monitor the elusive and well-camouflaged snow leopard (Panthera uncia), which has a vast home range and is mostly active at dawn, dusk, and night.
In a recent study, biologists used camera traps to estimate the snow leopard population.
(i) Suggest why it would not be appropriate or ethical to capture, physically tag, and release snow leopards to estimate their population size using the standard capture-recapture technique.
Most regional studies estimate the population density of snow leopards in these mountain habitats to be 1.51.51.5 individuals per 100 km2100\text{ km}^2100 km2.
In this specific study:
Evaluate how well these study results support the estimated population density of 1.51.51.5 individuals per 100 km2100\text{ km}^2100 km2. Show your calculations.
Hemis National Park is also home to local communities of pastoralists who herd sheep, goats, and yaks. Conservationists work with these communities to build predator-proof corrals to protect livestock and to set up eco-tourism homestays, promoting sustainable economic development while maintaining the ecosystem.
Explain why Hemis National Park is an example of conservation rather than preservation.
