CONSERVATION INSIGHT

SUNDA CLOUDED LEOPARDS CONVERSION OF THEIR FOREST HABITAT INTO PALM-OIL PLANTATIONS IS THE GREATEST THREAT TO CLOUDED LEOPARDS, SAYS ANDREW HEARN.

CLOUDED LEOPARDS ARE NOT THE TARGET FOR POACHERS BUT FALL VICTIM TO SNARES.”

Originally, there was only one clouded leopard, but scientists ‘split’ the species about 10 years ago because of genetic differences and variations in appearance between those found on mainland Asia and those on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra – the latter are now known as Sunda clouded leopards.

Clouded leopards are not leopards – indeed, they are not part of the Panthera genus of ‘big cats’, though they are the felids most closely related to lions, leopards, jaguars, tigers and snow leopards.

What we know about their diet is restricted to a handful of chance observations, and it includes ungulates such as bearded pigs, sambar and muntjac, as well as primates, but it is likely to vary depending on what’s available.

Occasional encounters have shown they use the forest canopy to feed and rest as well as to hunt, but camera-trapping has proved they use the ground too.

Forest loss as a result of conversion to palm-oil plantations is the greatest threat to clouded leopards on Borneo. Selectively logged forests can still support the species, but with the incursion of roads into them, there comes increased poaching.

Clouded leopards are not the target for poachers themselves on Borneo, but they can fall victim to snares that are also responsible for reducing the availability of the species they prey on.

Reducing poaching is crucial for these felines, as is restoring or creating corridors between patches of forest that have become isolated by the expanding oil-palm business. But boycotting palm-oil is not the solution – it’s one of the most important income sources for both Indonesia and Malaysia. Instead, consumers should choose more sustainably sourced palm oil.

In general, the situation in Sumatra appears to be more severe – forests are very fragmented and hunting levels seem to be much higher.