Outside of the general anthropogenic threat, habitat loss is the biggest threat to leopards. Leopards have the largest range of all the big cats, which also means they are the most persecuted large cat in the world (Panthera Leopard Panthera pardus, 2020). One study found that a leopard needs at least 40 square kilometers of land (Ghosal, 2018). They are found in approximately 62 countries across Africa and Eurasia, but they are extinct in 13 countries and regions and possibly extinct in seven more (Panthera Leopard, 2020). Leopards have vanished from 65% of their historic range in Africa and 84% of their historic range in Eurasia (Panthera Leopard Panthera pardus, 2020). One study found that leopards are found only in 25-37% of their historic range, due to habitat loss, fragmentation, hunting and poaching, prey depletion and human conflict (Dhungana et. al, 2019).
“Anthropogenic activity has led to extensive loss, degradation and fragmentation of wildlife habitats worldwide” (Coon et al., 2019; Fahrig, 1997; Williams et al., 2016). Because of the habitat fragmentation and land-use changes leopards and other predators are constrained to live in the small area in between humans which also makes it difficult to find prey (Coon et al., 2019; Fahrig, 2003)
A corridor is defined as “regions of the landscape that facilitate the flow or movement of individuals, genes, and ecological processes” (Chetkiewicz et al., 2006). They are viewed as a fundamental component of wildland conservation (Chetkiewicz et al., 2006). Corridors are created to counter the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation and provide a safe area for animals to travel through to go to and from larger areas of habitat (Chetkiewicz et al., 2006; Dirzo & Raven, 2003; Sih et al., 2000). They can also help the flow of genetic diversity (Chetkiewicz et al., 2006; Hale et al., 2001; Mech & Hallett, 2001).
Add something from ‘Corridors for Conservation: Integrating pattern and process”- Conservation.Need something more about the loss of habitat first.
AfriCat is an organization in Namibia, Africa that focuses on educating “young farmers and school children, communal carnivore conservation, and on research projects which are essential in accomplishing its mission of the long term conservation of Namibia’s large carnivores in their natural habitat” (AfriCat Our Story, 2020). They follow Mahatma Gandhi’s quote of “be the change you want to see in the world” (AfriCat Our Story, 2020). They focus on the ecology of leopards with the goal of producing sustainable metapopulation management guidelines (AfriCat, 2020).
Literature Cited
AfriCat. (2020). AfriCat. https://africat.org/
AfriCat. (2020). Our Story. https://africat.org/our-story/
Chetkiewicz, C.L.B., St. Clair, C.C., & Boyce, M.S. (2006). Corridors for conservation:
Integrating pattern and process. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst., 37, 317-342.
Coon, C.A.C.,Nichols, B.C., McDonald, Z., Stoner, D.C. (2019). Effects of land-use change d
prey abundance on the body condition of an obligate carnivore at the wildland-urban interface. Elsevier: Landscape and Urban Planning, 192, 1036-1048. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169204619311594?via%3Dihub
Dirz,o R. &, Raven, P.H. (2003). Global state of biodiversity and loss. Annu. Rev. Environ.
Resour. 28:137–67
Fahrig, L. (1997). Relative effects of habitat fragmentation on population extinction. The Journal
of Wildlife Management, 61 (3), 603-610. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3802168
Fahrig, L. (2003). Effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 34 (1), 487-515.
Ghosal, S. (2018). Heterogeneity in perceptions of large carnivores. Large Carnivore
Conservation and Management, 132–146. doi: 10.4324/9781315175454-7
Hale, M.L., Lurz, P.W.W., Shirley, MD..F., Rushton, S., Fuller, R.M., & Wolff, K. (2001). Impact
of landscape management on the genetic structure of red squirrel populations. Science 293:2246–48
Mech, S.G., & Hallett, J.G. (2001). Evaluating the effectiveness of corridors: a genetic approach. Conserv. Biol. 15:467–74
Panthera. (2020). Leopard: Panthera pardus.
file:///C:/Users/reedt/Downloads/Leopard%20Fact%20Sheet%20(4).pdf
Sih, A., Jonsson, B.G., & Luikart, G. (2000). Habitat loss: ecological, evolutionary and genetic consequences. Trends Ecol. Evol. 15:132–34
Williams, M., Zalasiewicz, J., Waters, C.N., Edgeworth, M., Bennett, C., Barnosky, A.D.,...Haff,
P.K. (2016). The anthropocene: A conspicuous stratigraphical signal of anthropogenic changes in production and consumption across the biosphere. Earth’s Future, 4 (3), 34-53.
Comments