- The clouded leopard’s range spans the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan, and India, extending across south China and down to Peninsular Malaysia. However, its population is declining rapidly in mainland Asia due to multifaceted threats.
- A new study addresses critical gaps in understanding the species’ habitat suitability, fragmentation, and connectivity across its historical and current ranges, offering a conservation roadmap.
- It also emphasises the importance of transboundary wildlife corridors, which connect isolated habitats and ensure genetic diversity through mating and movement. The study has identified 18 transboundary wildlife corridors critical for the species’ survival.
Across some of Asia’s ancient forests roams an elusive and enigmatic predator—the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa). Known for its striking, cloud-shaped coat patterns, this species inhabits a vast range in Asia.
However, its population is declining rapidly in mainland Asia due to multifaceted threats, including habitat destruction, direct exploitation, targeted hunting, and incidental deaths from snares intended for other animals. The species is classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“Climate change is expected to worsen habitat suitability, potentially causing up to 41% habitat loss across its current and historical range, according to the IUCN. This will likely lead to increased habitat fragmentation, with a projected reduction of viable habitat patches (number of patches) by up to 23.29% in the future,” says Imon Abedin, a wildlife biologist and PhD scholar, Department of Zoology, Bodoland University.
Abedin and four other researchers recently conducted a study to address critical gaps in understanding the species’ habitat suitability, fragmentation, and connectivity across its historical and current ranges, in order to formulate a conservation roadmap.
Land locked
The clouded leopard’s range spans the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan, and India, extending across south China and down to Peninsular Malaysia. However, the species is extinct in Taiwan, and populations are critically low, nearing extirpation in Vietnam, China, and Bangladesh. Additionally, population trends in other range countries, including Nepal, Bhutan, India, Malaysia, and Thailand, remain poorly documented.
Given the threats it faces, the IUCN has repeatedly revised the clouded leopard’s range, categorising it into four distinct statuses: extant (areas where the species is known or likely to exist), possibly extant (where survival is uncertain), possibly extinct, and extinct. The extant range includes much of Bhutan, northeast India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and the Malay Peninsula, with small, fragmented populations in Nepal and southern Bangladesh. By contrast, China—despite encompassing the largest historical range—is no longer part of the extant range. Similarly, Vietnam falls under the ‘extinct’ and ‘possibly extinct’ classifications.
To understand the species’ distribution and habitat viability, the researchers used advanced scientific tools and methodologies. Their study analysed data from 159 clouded leopard location points, nine gathered during field visits and the remaining from global biodiversity databases. These sightings were evaluated alongside environmental factors such as forest type, elevation, climate, and human activities like urbanisation and agriculture to assess habitat suitability.
Species Distribution Models (SDMs), employing multiple algorithms, including MaxEnt and Random Forest, were used to map suitable habitats under current and future climate scenarios. Two climate scenarios—moderate (SSP245) and high emissions (SSP585)—helped predict how changing temperatures and rainfall patterns could impact habitats by the mid and late 21st century. Cross-referencing field data with protected areas and potential habitats provided insights into the clouded leopard’s habitat needs and potential threats.
A shrinking habitat
The findings are sobering. The model reveals that only 44,033 square kilometres, or 31.66% of the total habitat, fall within the extant range. An additional 20,034 square kilometres (8.13%) lies in the possibly extant range. Notably, a total of 25,614 square kilometres of suitable habitat is found within designated protected areas across the entire range.
However, even these protected areas face significant challenges. Climate change, driven by rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns, steadily undermines habitat viability. Combined with deforestation and prey depletion, these pressures compound the threats to the species’ survival.
Despite these challenges, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Within historical ranges, the model identified 15,264 square kilometres (6.58%) of potentially suitable habitat in the “possibly extinct” range and 14,022 square kilometres (2.38%) in the “extinct” range.
“Although the species may not have been sighted recently in these regions, they may still retain ecological value and suitable conditions. These areas should be prioritised for field validation to assess their potential. If confirmed suitable, they could serve as important sites for species reintroduction or relocation efforts, offering an opportunity to expand the species’ range and support its long-term survival,” says Abedin.
The role of wildlife corridors
The study also emphasised the importance of transboundary wildlife corridors, which connect isolated habitats and ensure genetic diversity through mating and movement. To this end, it identified 18 transboundary wildlife corridors critical for the species’ survival. However, these corridors too are increasingly threatened.
“As habitat fragmentation increases, suitable patches become more isolated and located farther apart, with reduced connectivity between them. This is significant because the inability of the species to move between patches can result in serious consequences, such as reduced genetic diversity, which may ultimately lead to inbreeding,” says Hye-Eun Kang, a researcher from the Institute of Marine Life Science, Pukyong National University, Busan, Republic of Korea. who was also part of the study.
As per the study, in the future, Southeast Asia is projected to experience the sharpest decline in habitat connectivity, endangering the viability of local populations. Conversely, regions like Bhutan, Nepal, and India are expected to retain relatively higher levels of connectivity. Particularly vital are the corridors linking Bhutan and India, as well as Nepal and India, where extensive forest cover provides crucial support for the clouded leopard’s movement and survival.
The path to conservation
The study underscores the urgent need for enhanced transboundary cooperation to safeguard the clouded leopard, particularly in regions where habitats and corridors cross international borders. “Coordinated conservation efforts between neighbouring countries are essential. An important element of this strategy is expanding the network of protected areas (PAs) within the species’ distribution,” says Shantanu Kundu, assistant professor, Department of Marine Biology, Pukyong National University, another study author.
Key strategies could also include the development of a comprehensive species management plan, transboundary monitoring to maintain corridor connectivity, detailed ground assessments of suitable habitats, and robust public awareness campaigns. Additionally, conducting phylogeographic studies across the species’ range is crucial to understanding genetic diversity. These studies will help identify distinct populations suitable for breeding programmes, thereby enhancing genetic diversity and ensuring population viability.
Such efforts are particularly critical for reintroduction programmes, which aim to expand the species’ gene pool and strengthen its resilience against future threats. That’s not all. “Ground-truthing is essential before initiating any reintroduction or translocation programmes,” says Hilloljyoti Singha, professor and head of the department of zoology, Bodoland University and study author. “Detailed ecological field studies are needed to assess the actual capacity of these areas to sustain populations.”
Read more: Clouded leopard and leopard cat occupy same habitat, but differently
Why it matters
The clouded leopard is integral to maintaining the health and stability of Asia’s forest ecosystems. Being a top predator, it helps regulate populations of prey such as gibbons, macaques, small deer and wild boars, ensuring ecological balance.
To this end, according to the researchers, designating the clouded leopard as a flagship species could further elevate conservation efforts by drawing public and governmental support. “As a flagship species, it would attract focused attention and resources while serving as an umbrella species, protecting other sympatric felids that share its habitat,” says Kundu. This approach has been effective in other conservation programmes, where flagship species such as tigers, rhinos and even elephants have driven ecosystem-wide benefits. “Given the urgent need for a flagship species in evergreen forest ecosystems, the clouded leopard is well-suited for this role, potentially catalysing conservation initiatives that benefit the entire ecosystem and its associated species,” he adds.
Safeguarding the clouded leopard is not an impossible task. Success stories like the India-Nepal Terai Arc Landscape and the Bhutan-India Manas Tiger Reserve showcase the transformative power of collaborative conservation. “Integrated approaches have significantly reduced illegal activities such as logging and poaching while restoring critical habitats. A similar initiative is essential for the clouded leopard,” says another study author, Hyun-Woo Kim, professor, department of marine biology of Pukyong National University.
Banner image: A clouded leopard at a zoo in Aizawl, Mizoram, photographed in 2014. Researchers emphasise the importance of transboundary wildlife corridors, which connect isolated habitats and ensure genetic diversity. Such corridors are increasingly threatened across the species’ range. Image by Raju Kasambe via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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