Passage: The snow leopard, native to the high mountains of northern Pakistan, is classified as vulnerable due to habitat loss and occasional retaliatory killings by herders protecting livestock. Conservation programs have introduced predator-proof livestock pens and compensation schemes to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Early data suggests these measures have modestly reduced both livestock losses and leopard killings in pilot areas. Question: In the passage, the word ‘vulnerable’ most nearly means:

Question

Passage: The snow leopard, native to the high mountains of northern Pakistan, is classified as vulnerable due to habitat loss and occasional retaliatory killings by herders protecting livestock. Conservation programs have introduced predator-proof livestock pens and compensation schemes to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Early data suggests these measures have modestly reduced both livestock losses and leopard killings in pilot areas. Question: In the passage, the word &#8216;vulnerable&#8217; most nearly means:

Accepted Answer

At risk of becoming endangered. 'Vulnerable' is a conservation status indicating a species is at risk, not extinct or fully safe

Explanation