Conservationists in Nepal have enlisted an army of school children to record the movements of the mysterious snow leopard, one of the most elusive predators in the world, a scientist said Tuesday.

Experts believe just 500 adults survive in the Himalayan nation, and few can claim ever to have seen the secretive, solitary "mountain ghost", which lives 5,000 to 6,000 metres (16,500 to 20,000 ft) above sea level.

"Snow leopards are inherently rare, and also elusive in the sense that they are active during dusk and dawn, so few people, including biologists, have seen a snow leopard to date," said Som Ale of the US-based Snow Leopard Conservancy.

The group has enlisted children from schools in the leopard's habitat in Mustang, in Nepal's mountainous northern frontier, who will work in pairs to instal and monitor digital cameras to count the endangered species.

The census, due to be carried out over two months in winter, will give scientists a more accurate idea of numbers in Nepal than more primitive techniques, including recording tracks and collecting droppings.

Although the Snow Leopard Conservancy used camera traps on a study in India six years ago, the group says this is the first survey of a large predator anywhere in the world by local communities who are not paid conservation experts.

"In parts of Africa, lions may be monitored by local people but they are well paid professional guides," Ale told AFP.

The pupils will be trained to set up digital cameras that take infra-red images and operate in sub-zero temperatures to areas where snow leopards would be expected to visit.

Computer programmers will then use each animal's unique pelt to create to estimate the number of snow leopards.

The snow leopard is protected in Nepal by an act of parliament dating back to the 1970s which provides for penalties of up to 100,000 rupees ($1,300) and up to 15 years in jail for poachers.

US announces $30 million Nepal conservation plan
Kathmandu (AFP) Nov 8, 2011 - The United States announced on Tuesday the launch of a $30 million programme to combat the severe threat climate change is posing to the people and the diverse wildlife of Nepal.

The five-year Hariyo Ban programme, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), will aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by one million tonnes, improve the management of 50,000 hectares of forest and pay local communities to protect endangered animals.

"This ambitious project recognises that forests are the true wealth of Nepal as forests not only support the livelihoods of millions of people and provide a safe haven for endangered species but also are vital to combat the impacts of climate change," said Hariyo Ban chief Judy Oglethorpe.

Nepal is facing increasingly frequent forest fires, floods and landslides while the retreat of ice in the Himalayas has increased the risk of glacier lake floods which threaten downstream communities and wildlife.

More than 1.9 million people are at high risk from climate change in the landlocked Himalayan nation, Hariyo Ban says, while a further 10 million are increasingly at risk.

"Nepal, being a Himalayan country, is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world and the government of Nepal welcomes the efforts being made by Hariyo Ban," said Deependra Bahadur Kshetry, vice-chairman of the government's National Planning Commission.

Hariyo Ban -- which uses the Nepali phrase for "green forests" -- will work towards reducing deforestation while conserving the Terai southern plains and the Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape, a biologically important region containing snow leopards, red pandas and musk deer.

The Terai -- often referred to as the rice bowl of Nepal -- is home to tigers, rhinos and elephants as well as a population of about 6.7 million people from several ethnic groups.

Hariyo Ban is a coalition of four leading conservation organisations in Nepal including the WWF and the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere.