The lack of basic information about the status of endangered snow leopards in China is hampering effective efforts to protect the species, according to a Chinese researcher and conservationist.

A report by the World Wide Fund for Nature shows that 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 kilometers of Chinese territory, but only about 12 percent of this area has been covered by research.