The species is found in China, India, and Nepal in high alpine deserts, steppe and meadows, as well as tropical and subtropical montane forests.

[1] Plateau pikas are considered to be a keystone species as they play a role in recycling nutrients in soil, providing food to predators such as; foxes, weasels, falcons, Asia pole cat, upland buzzard, and owls.

The species is currently considered threatened, mostly due to aggressive poisoning campaigns by Chinese populations, predominantly to eliminate competition for food with livestock.

One approach has been to raise awareness among local communities about the important role that the pika plays in the ecosystem and to promote more sustainable farming practices that do not rely on exterminating the animals.

For example, the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve in China,[8] which encompasses much of the Tibetan Plateau, has been designated as a protected area for the pika and other endangered species.

[9] By working to protect this important component of the high-altitude ecosystem, conservationists hope to maintain the ecological integrity and biodiversity of the region for generations to come.