Mapping Leopard Conservation Priorities in Southeast Asia
9 affiliations
- 1Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford UK
- 2Wildlife Conservation Society Myanmar Program Yangon Myanmar
- 3World Wide Fund for Nature Vientiane Laos
- 4Ministry of Environment Phnom Penh Cambodia
- 5Conservation Ecology Program King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi Bangkok Thailand
- 6School of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Nottingham Malaysia Semenyih Malaysia
- 7Panthera New York New York USA
- 8School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona USA
- 9Department of Biology University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
Abstract
The Indochinese leopard ( Panthera pardus delacouri ) is one of the most endangered leopard subspecies, restricted to < 4% of its historical range across Southeast Asia. With severe declines driven by poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, and prey depletion, recovery requires urgent, spatially informed conservation action. This study presents the first connectivity analysis for the Indochinese leopard across its extant and former range, aiming to identify core habitats, priority connectivity areas and opportunities for population restoration. We used resistant kernel modelling through the CoLa Decision Support System to evaluate landscape connectivity across 14 forest complexes in the extant range and 11 potential reintroduction areas, considering scenarios of extant, reintroduction and combined range connectivity. Importance to connectivity was assessed based on Kernel Extent, Kernel Sum, movement density and protected area overlap. Our results confirmed the Dawna–Tenasserim landscape, spanning parts of Thailand and Myanmar, and Peninsular Malaysia as the most critical strongholds. In the former range, our analysis revealed potential for large‐scale metapopulation structural connectivity across Cambodia and Lao PDR, despite recent extirpations. We stress that reintroduction opportunities will require actions such as reducing poaching, restoring prey and improving habitat management. In some complexes, intensive landscape restoration may be needed to reconnect major core areas with smaller reintroduction complexes that could be critical for meta‐population connectivity. Despite increasing human pressure in the region, substantial habitat and connectivity potential remain. Our framework provides a spatial foundation to prioritise actions for preventing extinction of this subspecies and guiding large carnivore recovery across fragmented tropical landscapes.
Versions
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BibTeX
@article{atzeni2026mapping,
title = {{Mapping Leopard Conservation Priorities in Southeast Asia}},
author = {Luciano Atzeni and Jan Kamler and Eric Ash and Pyae Phyoe Kyaw and Akchousanh Rasphone and Chanratana Pin and Cedric Kai Wei Tan and Susana Rostro‐García and Patrick Jantz and Ivan Gonzalez and Dawn Burnham and Samuel A. Cushman and David W. Macdonald},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74459},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74459},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mapping Leopard Conservation Priorities in Southeast Asia
AU - Luciano Atzeni
AU - Jan Kamler
AU - Eric Ash
AU - Pyae Phyoe Kyaw
AU - Akchousanh Rasphone
AU - Chanratana Pin
AU - Cedric Kai Wei Tan
AU - Susana Rostro‐García
AU - Patrick Jantz
AU - Ivan Gonzalez
AU - Dawn Burnham
AU - Samuel A. Cushman
AU - David W. Macdonald
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Ecology and Evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74459
UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.74459
AB - The Indochinese leopard ( Panthera pardus delacouri ) is one of the most endangered leopard subspecies, restricted to < 4% of its historical range across Southeast Asia. With severe declines driven by poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, and prey depletion, recovery requires urgent, spatially informed conservation action. This study presents the first connectivity analysis for the Indochinese leopard across its extant and former range, aiming to identify core habitats, priority connectivity areas and opportunities for population restoration. We used resistant kernel modelling through the CoLa Decision Support System to evaluate landscape connectivity across 14 forest complexes in the extant range and 11 potential reintroduction areas, considering scenarios of extant, reintroduction and combined range connectivity. Importance to connectivity was assessed based on Kernel Extent, Kernel Sum, movement density and protected area overlap. Our results confirmed the Dawna–Tenasserim landscape, spanning parts of Thailand and Myanmar, and Peninsular Malaysia as the most critical strongholds. In the former range, our analysis revealed potential for large‐scale metapopulation structural connectivity across Cambodia and Lao PDR, despite recent extirpations. We stress that reintroduction opportunities will require actions such as reducing poaching, restoring prey and improving habitat management. In some complexes, intensive landscape restoration may be needed to reconnect major core areas with smaller reintroduction complexes that could be critical for meta‐population connectivity. Despite increasing human pressure in the region, substantial habitat and connectivity potential remain. Our framework provides a spatial foundation to prioritise actions for preventing extinction of this subspecies and guiding large carnivore recovery across fragmented tropical landscapes.
SN - 2045-7758
SN - 2045-7758
ER -