The snow leopard (Uncia uncia), known for its beauty, is a remarkable species that play a key role as a prime predator as well as an indicator of the health of its high-altitude habitat. Of the big cats, snow leopards are the smallest that have adapted to mountainous habitats In Central Asia including the Altai, Tian Shan, Kun Lun, Pamir, Hindu Kush, Karakorum, and Himalayan mountain ranges. The snow leopard’s habitat extends through twelve countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In the Himalayas, snow leopards are usually found between 3,000 and 5,400 meters above sea level. In Mongolia and Russia, these cats are found at lower altitudes of 1000 meters. At the snow leopard’s typical elevation, the climate is cold and dry, and only grasses and small shrubs can grow on the steep mountain slopes.

If snow leopards thrive so will countless other species, as well as the millions of people whose livelihoods depend on the rivers flowing down from Central Asia's mountains.