Clouded Leopard and Small Felid
Conservation Summit Report
Overview The Clouded Leopard and Small
Felid Conservation Summit was held January 28 – 30 at Kasetsart University
in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop was
conceived to compile current information and address the conservation issues
facing the nine species of Southeast Asian small wild cats. In addition, the
meeting sought to facilitate information exchange, communication, and
collaboration among the many independent parties working with these species. The Summit
was organized as a three-day workshop intended to serve as a first step toward
the development of a holistic conservation strategy for small felids in Southeast Asia. Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Forestry invited IUCN's
Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) and IUCN’s Cat Specialist Group
to facilitate this workshop. Using CBSG
tools and processes designed specifically for this type of conservation issue,
the workshop brought together a diverse group of 65 participants from 13
countries including field ecologists, population biologists, naturalists,
conservation education teachers and zoo professionals. Background
Photo: Photo by Andrew Hearn and Joanna Ross Southeast Asia has tremendous diversity in wildlife
and is particularly rich in felid species, including nine species of small or
medium size wild cats: clouded leopard (mainland SE Asia), Sundaland clouded
leopard (Borneo and Sumatra), marbled cat, jungle cat, golden cat, flat-headed
cat, fishing cat, Bornean bay cat and leopard cat. Recent findings from field
surveys and wildlife trade monitoring indicate that many of these felids may be
facing significant population declines due to the impacts of habitat
destruction and fragmentation, declining prey base, and targeted hunting. The
table below outlines the conservation status of these species according to the
2008 International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Endangered | Vulnerable | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
Bay cat (Catopuma badia) |
Clouded leopard (Neofelis
nebulosa) |
Asian golden cat (Catopuma temmincki) |
Jungle cat (Felis chaus) |
Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) | Sundaland clouded leopard
(Neofelis diardi) | |
Leopard cat (Prionailurus engalensis) |
Flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps) |
Marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) | | |
Accurate assessment of the conservation status of
these species is difficult as little is actually known/reported
about their natural history, relatively few field surveys have been undertaken,
and many of these species have large historic geographic ranges. Due to the
wide complement of habitat types utilized by many of these species, the
variation in the quality of remaining habitat, and the relatively low natural
abundance of these species, it is problematic to generalize survey findings for
areas outside study sites. In addition, much of the recent data on the
distribution of these felids have been acquired in the course of research on
large felids (especially tigers) or non-felid species and is not always
disseminated to parties addressing small felid conservation and research
issues. As a result, there is a lack of data on the distribution, status, and
ecology of small felids to inform conservation planning for these species. The Clouded Leopard and Small Felid
Conservation Summit was conceived to address this
issue as well as to facilitate information exchange, communication, and
collaboration among the many independent parties working in small felid
conservation. This workshop had four
primary objectives: 1. Bring together government agency employees, field researchers,
educators, NGO, and zoo staff currently working on (or interested in working
on) clouded leopard and small felid research and conservation issues in the
Southeast Asian range countries of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam,
Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Bhutan. 2. Share and compile current data available on clouded leopards and small
felids to develop an updated range map for these species across Southeast Asia 3. Identify key issues concerning the conservation of clouded leopards and
small felids, particularly relating to field study, trade, and community
education/social marketing. 4. Provide an opportunity to showcase clouded leopard and small felid
research and conservation efforts to the public via media participation in the
meeting. During the
workshop, participants worked in small region-based groups to summarize all
available information about the focal species. These data were used to update
current range maps for these species. In addition, the major issues relating to
clouded leopard and small felid conservation were identified and
prioritized. Based on these results,
participants developed goals to achieve the desired change in the conditions
identified in the issue statements. Finally, each group developed specific
actions, relevant to the situation in the various range countries, to
accomplish the goals, taking into account the scientific information on the
species, their habitats, and the threats identified.
Clouded Leopard and Small Felid Conservation Summit was facilitated by:
Clouded Leopard and Small Felid Conservation Summit was sponsored by:
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