Human-wildlife conflict kills thousands of snow leopards annually. Community-based conservation programs addressing the economic drivers of conflict are achieving lasting coexistence.
Snow leopard conflict management has evolved from primarily punitive enforcement to community-engaged approaches that address the legitimate economic grievances of herder communities. Individual snow leopards killed in retaliation suffer the direct welfare harm of violent death, while surviving family members may lose the hunting territory or social disruption resulting from an adult removal. The welfare case for community-based conflict mitigation is thus direct — each successful program reduces the retaliatory killings that cause individual snow leopard welfare harm. Predator-proof corrals provide perhaps the most mechanistically reliable conflict prevention — physically excluding leopards from pen livestock eliminates the attack opportunity without requiring behavioral change. Insurance and premium product programs create economic incentives that align herder interests with snow leopard survival.