Prioritizing habitat core areas and corridors for a large carnivore across its range

Abstract

With increasing loss and fragmentation of habitats driving the emerging global extinction crisis, paired with limited resources for conservation, there is an immense need to identify and prioritize the most important areas for conservation actions. The goal of this study was to measure, map and rank core areas and corridors for mainland clouded leopard (a forest indicator species) across its entire range in Southeast Asia. We used an empirically based landscape resistance model developed from range-wide camera survey data, cumulative resistant kernel analysis to define core areas and least-cost network analysis to identify corridors for longdistance dispersal. We then ranked core areas based on their strength and size, and corridors based on their strength and the strength of core areas they connect. We found that the most important core areas and corridors are concentrated in Southeast Asia, largely in Myanmar, Laos and Malaysia. Myanmar contains nearly the entirety of the first and third highest ranked core areas, as well as the most important network of corridors in SE Asia. Almost the entire territory of Laos constitutes one large potential core area, ranked as the second most important across the clouded leopard's range. A large number (22) of very small (<8000 km 2) and fairly isolated core areas are in China. Only 24% of clouded leopard core areas and 17% of corridors are protected. This is the first example of using empirical models to prioritize conservation actions across the full range of a large carnivore. Our analysis identifies the location, size and connectivity of the most important remaining habitats of the clouded leopard across its range, which could provide quantitative guidance in the efforts to maximize the efficacy of regional conservation initiatives to conserve this species and the ecosystems it inhabits.

Predicting biodiversity richness in rapidly changing landscapes: climate, low human pressure or protection as salvation?

“…We revealed poor match between existing protected areas and regions of predicted high biodiversity, suggests two conservation imperatives: (1) to extend the protected areas already existing, as well as the corridors linking them (Cushman et al 2018;Kaszta et al 2020b), and (2) to encourage cultural tolerance of coexistence and an ethic of wildlife protection (Western et al 2019).…”

“…One of the main hotspots, the MSC, has very limited coverage by protected areas. These should be extended, particularly in Southern Yunnan, including the Indian state of Assam and northern Myanmar, and designed to provide stepping-stones along the major connectivity corridors of the region (Kaszta et al 2020b).…”

“…Almost none of the predicted highly biodiverse areas in Cambodia fell within protected areas. We also identified several critical areas occurring across countries, underlining the importance of transboundary conservation programmes (Kaszta et al 2020b). The biodiverse region spanning the border between Vietnam and Laos is only partially protected.…”

“…Similarly, the western coast of Myanmar adjoining Bangladesh is mostly unprotected despite its very high biodiversity. These areas are also identified as the most important nodes in a regional connectivity network for clouded leopard (Kaszta et al 2020b). Finally, Peninsular Malaysia has the highest levels of species richness, but only a small portion is protected, despite its vulnerability to isolation from other areas of species richness due to its long, thin and vulnerable corridors (Kaszta et al 2020b).…”

Identifying priority core habitats and corridors for effective conservation of brown bears in Iran

“…One of the approaches to ensure regional large carnivore long-term viability is based on establishing and protecting large core habitat patches, and a network of connectivity linkages, and low-risk areas among them 15 , 17 , 18 . Thus, spatially connected networks of core habitat patches often emerges as a priority to reach landscapes of coexistence between humans and large carnivores 8 , 10 , 19 – 22 on national and even international population level approach 23 , 24 .…”