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There are just 3,800 Sunda clouded leopards remaining in the Borneo forests. As policymakers try to figure out ways to protect them better, a new study said we need to change how we protect them.
Right now, protected areas are often in safe places like high mountains, but leopards need protection in different areas where they are actually at risk, they said.
The researchers from the Oxford University based their studies on the Sunda clouded leopard, which is the top predator in Borneo’s forests. These forests are important as they help fight climate change by storing a lot of carbon. But human activities, like cutting down trees and clearing land, are making the leopard’s home smaller.
The study published August 21, 2024 in the journal npj Biodiversity was led by Ewan Macdonald, postdoctoral research fellow at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. The researchers looked at two ways to help the leopards: Protecting places that are already in danger (pro-active) and focusing on safer areas (expedient).
They used special models to predict what might happen in the future, like forest loss and changes in leopard numbers. Other than leopards, they also mapped where 22,000 different species live and checked how close people might come to these areas.
To figure out the best way to protect the leopards, the researchers used a method called the resistant kernel approach to see where leopards are likely to live based on their movements and habitat needs.
They also used a software called MARXAN to test different conservation plans and find the best places to protect. They looked at how leopards might move and breed in the future and how this would affect the forests in its ability to store carbon.
The study showed that the current protected areas are not the best for the leopards. If we start protecting the high-risk areas, we could increase the leopard’s living space by 53 per cent and save an extra 82 million tonnes of carbon.
The study also pointed out that as farming and other land uses often make more money than protecting forests, programmes like REDD+, which pay people to keep forests safe, could be used. They also proposed that stronger rules are put in place to make it more expensive to harm forests.
The study stressed that we need to act quickly. Governments, conservationists and local communities must work together to protect Borneo’s wildlife and forests. The choices we make now will shape the future of these animals and our planet.