A lack of basic information about the status of endangered snow leopards in China, which has the largest population of the endangered wild cats, is hampering efforts to protect them, a top Chinese conservationist said.

A report by the World Wide Fund for Nature shows China still boasts by far the largest population of the animal, also known as the “ghost of the mountains”.

Snow leopards roam over 137,846 square kilometres of Chinese territory, but only about 12 per cent of this area has been covered by research.

Gao Yufang, executive director of the Everest Snow Leopard Conservation Centre in Tibet, said, “We require not only scientific investigations, but more interdisciplinary research to understand the social and policy underpinnings of snow leopard conservation.”

There are between 2,000 and 2,500 snow leopards in China, Mr. Gao was quoted by the state-runChina Daily on Saturday.

Conservationists in China have called for a national survey to be conducted on snow leopards to provide a basis for their research.

On Friday — on the International Snow Leopard Day — WWF International issued a report that said more than a third of the snow leopard’s habitat could become unsuitable for the animals if climate change is not checked.

Warmer temperatures could see the tree line rising on mountains and farmers planting crops and grazing livestock at higher altitudes, squeezing the remaining snow leopards into smaller areas.

There could be as few as 4,000 snow leopards left in Central Asia’s high mountains — and their numbers are continuing to fall.

Increased habitat loss and poaching are among the factors that have contributed to a 20 per cent decline in the population in the past 16 years and left the species under grave threat in many places.

Unchecked, climate change will exacerbate these threats and the species could die out.

In China, snow leopards live in seven provinces and autonomous regions: Qinghai, Tibet, Xinjiang, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan and Yunnan.

They mainly inhabit the Qinghai—Tibet Plateau, Mr. Gao said.

Fan Zhiyong, senior director of the Science, Policy and Innovation Centre at WWF China, called for a national survey to be carried out on the animals as soon as possible.

Mr. Fan also appealed for enhanced international cooperation on snow leopards through taking advantage of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Mr. Gao said he had suggested that China support and facilitate “sound, applied and inter-disciplinary research” to study and monitor the status of snow leopards in the country.