From shadows to data: First robust population assessment of snow leopards in Pakistan

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a flagship species of the greater Himalayan region and symbolizes the integrity of this ecological system. Within the greater Himalayas, Pakistan holds special significance as the north of the country represents a confluence of four major mountain ranges (Hindu Kush, Pamir, Karakoram, and Himalaya). However, robustly surveying and monitoring elusive, low-density species such as snow leopards has historically been difficult in the region. As a result, our understanding of the spatial patterns in density and overall population size of snow leopards has remained conjectural in Pakistan. This lack of objective information is an obstacle to realizing effective conservation planning for the species in Pakistan, as well as the broader ecosystem within which it plays a key role. This study aimed to empirically derive population estimates for snow leopards in Pakistan, based on extensive camera trapping conducted over a decade (2010 to 2019), covering ab..., , **README: Snow Leopard Population Estimation: R Code**

We have submitted the R scripts used in our current study on snow leopard population and density estimation. Two main scripts were utilized: **`SCR_model_fitting.R`** and **`Sensitivity_all.R`**.

·       **`SCR_model_fitting.R`**: This script was used to estimate snow leopard population size and density across the study area in Pakistan. The Spatially Explicit Capture–Recapture (SCR) modeling was implemented using the **`secr`v4.6.5** package in R.

·       **`sensitivity_all.R`**: This script was applied to evaluate the robustness and stability of the SCR model outputs.

The following dataset is required for SCR modeling:

·       **`SL_Capture.csv`**: This CSV file contains the detection history of uniquely identified snow leopard individuals. A sample format of this capture file is provided below.

| Session | IndivID | Occasion | DetectorID |
| :------ | :------ | :------- | :--------- |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | SL\_KN...,