Mountains Without Borders: Scaling up Conservation Success for Snow Leopards

ABSTRACT This special issue explores the evolving scientific and management landscape of snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ) conservation, highlighting a twentyfold increase in research output alongside the persistent threats of climate change and habitat fragmentation. The assembled studies address three core themes: establishing population baselines at geographic range edges, advancing non‐invasive genomic and prey monitoring methodologies, and evaluating landscape connectivity across political boundaries. Findings reveal a significant “governance‐ecology mismatch,” where current protected areas fail to encompass vital movement corridors and transboundary home ranges. To ensure the long‐term persistence of this cryptic apex predator, the editorial advocates for a transition from site‐specific protection to integrated, landscape‐scale conservation characterized by standardized monitoring, protected corridors, and coordinated international governance.