Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range
The leopard’s (Panthera pardus) broad geographic range, remarkable adaptability, and secretive nature have contributed to a misconception that this species might not be severely threatened across its range. We find that not only are several subspecies and regional populations critically endangered b...
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| Format: | Article |
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PeerJ Inc.
2016-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/1974.pdf |
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| author | Andrew P. Jacobson Peter Gerngross Joseph R. Lemeris Jr. Rebecca F. Schoonover Corey Anco Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten Sarah M. Durant Mohammad S. Farhadinia Philipp Henschel Jan F. Kamler Alice Laguardia Susana Rostro-García Andrew B. Stein Luke Dollar |
| author_facet | Andrew P. Jacobson Peter Gerngross Joseph R. Lemeris Jr. Rebecca F. Schoonover Corey Anco Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten Sarah M. Durant Mohammad S. Farhadinia Philipp Henschel Jan F. Kamler Alice Laguardia Susana Rostro-García Andrew B. Stein Luke Dollar |
| author_sort | Andrew P. Jacobson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The leopard’s (Panthera pardus) broad geographic range, remarkable adaptability, and secretive nature have contributed to a misconception that this species might not be severely threatened across its range. We find that not only are several subspecies and regional populations critically endangered but also the overall range loss is greater than the average for terrestrial large carnivores. To assess the leopard’s status, we compile 6,000 records at 2,500 locations from over 1,300 sources on its historic (post 1750) and current distribution. We map the species across Africa and Asia, delineating areas where the species is confirmed present, is possibly present, is possibly extinct or is almost certainly extinct. The leopard now occupies 25–37% of its historic range, but this obscures important differences between subspecies. Of the nine recognized subspecies, three (P. p. pardus, fusca, and saxicolor) account for 97% of the leopard’s extant range while another three (P. p. orientalis, nimr, and japonensis) have each lost as much as 98% of their historic range. Isolation, small patch sizes, and few remaining patches further threaten the six subspecies that each have less than 100,000 km2 of extant range. Approximately 17% of extant leopard range is protected, although some endangered subspecies have far less. We found that while leopard research was increasing, research effort was primarily on the subspecies with the most remaining range whereas subspecies that are most in need of urgent attention were neglected. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:27:15Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:27:15Z |
| publishDate | 2016-05-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-c89089cab0e74d8888ea52e2a482fdac2023-12-03T11:19:28ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592016-05-014e197410.7717/peerj.1974Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its rangeAndrew P. Jacobson0Peter Gerngross1Joseph R. Lemeris Jr.2Rebecca F. Schoonover3Corey Anco4Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten5Sarah M. Durant6Mohammad S. Farhadinia7Philipp Henschel8Jan F. Kamler9Alice Laguardia10Susana Rostro-García11Andrew B. Stein12Luke Dollar13Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United KingdomBIOGEOMAPS, Vienna, AustriaBig Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United StatesBig Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United StatesDepartment of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, United StatesIUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, c/o KORA, Bern, SwitzerlandInstitute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United KingdomIranian Cheetah Society (ICS), Tehran, IranPanthera, New York, NY, United StatesPanthera, New York, NY, United StatesThe Wildlife Institute, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, ChinaWildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tubney, Oxfordshire, United KingdomIUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, c/o KORA, Bern, SwitzerlandBig Cats Initiative, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C., United StatesThe leopard’s (Panthera pardus) broad geographic range, remarkable adaptability, and secretive nature have contributed to a misconception that this species might not be severely threatened across its range. We find that not only are several subspecies and regional populations critically endangered but also the overall range loss is greater than the average for terrestrial large carnivores. To assess the leopard’s status, we compile 6,000 records at 2,500 locations from over 1,300 sources on its historic (post 1750) and current distribution. We map the species across Africa and Asia, delineating areas where the species is confirmed present, is possibly present, is possibly extinct or is almost certainly extinct. The leopard now occupies 25–37% of its historic range, but this obscures important differences between subspecies. Of the nine recognized subspecies, three (P. p. pardus, fusca, and saxicolor) account for 97% of the leopard’s extant range while another three (P. p. orientalis, nimr, and japonensis) have each lost as much as 98% of their historic range. Isolation, small patch sizes, and few remaining patches further threaten the six subspecies that each have less than 100,000 km2 of extant range. Approximately 17% of extant leopard range is protected, although some endangered subspecies have far less. We found that while leopard research was increasing, research effort was primarily on the subspecies with the most remaining range whereas subspecies that are most in need of urgent attention were neglected.https://peerj.com/articles/1974.pdfLeopardPanthera pardusDeclineDistributionCarnivore conservation |
| spellingShingle | Andrew P. Jacobson Peter Gerngross Joseph R. Lemeris Jr. Rebecca F. Schoonover Corey Anco Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten Sarah M. Durant Mohammad S. Farhadinia Philipp Henschel Jan F. Kamler Alice Laguardia Susana Rostro-García Andrew B. Stein Luke Dollar Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range PeerJ Leopard Panthera pardus Decline Distribution Carnivore conservation |
| title | Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range |
| title_full | Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range |
| title_fullStr | Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range |
| title_short | Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range |
| title_sort | leopard panthera pardus status distribution and the research efforts across its range |
| topic | Leopard Panthera pardus Decline Distribution Carnivore conservation |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/1974.pdf |
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