JAKARTA — A new study on Javan leopards has found that areas with higher numbers of the endangered subspecies have richer wildlife diversity than those from where the elusive big cats are absent.
More Javan leopards (Panthera pardus melas) in a given habitat correspond to higher richness and abundance of other animals that coexist in the same location, said a group of wildlife researchers in a recently published paper. The authors said the study was the first extensive look at what animals the leopard might hunt, using camera traps across all four different types of terrestrial regions on the Indonesian island of Java.
Led by Andhika C. Ariyanto from the University of Twente in the Netherlands and Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the authors studied 7,461 individual photos taken over a combined period of nearly 13,000 days by camera traps between 2020 and 2022 in four national parks.
They found that Meru Betiri National Park, representing the eastern Java-Bali montane rainforest habitat, had the highest species richness in areas where the Javan leopards are found. Ujung Kulon National Park and Alas Purwo National Park — western Java rainforest and eastern Java-Bali rainforest habitat, respectively — followed closely, their research showed. Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, representative of the western Java-Bali rainforest habitat, had relatively lower species diversity in areas inhabited by leopards.
“This suggests the interplay between Javan leopards and their prey, revealing how the abundance of prey plays a role in shaping the distribution and behavior of the predators in their natural environment,” the study says.
The researchers identified 10 species whose presence overlapped strongly with that of leopards, both in space and time, and suggested some were prey candidates hunted by the big cat. They include barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), wild boar (Sus scrofa), junglefowl (Gallus spp.), dhole (Cuon alpinus) and Javan rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus).
By identifying which animals Javan leopards hunt and their populations, the study says, conservation managers can create specific plans to protect and increase these animal populations, and by extension the leopard population. When there aren’t enough prey animals, large carnivores like Javan leopards can decline in number and even disappear from certain areas, the authors write.
The Javan leopard is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, which estimates its population at around 350. It’s the last top predator on Java, following the extinction last century of the Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica), and is under threat from human activity, including hunting, habitat loss, and the decline of its prey.
“Incorporating these findings into local conservation strategies entails implementing measures such as potential prey monitoring, habitat restoration, anti-poaching initiatives, and community engagement programs,” the study says. “These measures will enhance the long-term sustainability of Javan leopards and their ecosystems.”
The study makes an important contribution to the scientific record of the Javan leopard with data collected from the field, said Erwin Wilianto, co-founder and board member of the NGO Save Indonesian Nature & Threatened Species (SINTAS Indonesia), who was not involved in the study but reviewed the paper at Mongabay‘s request.
He said the data could work as a foundation for more research on the subspecies, including ecological behavior, and other methodologies, such as fecal analysis. Combining and including more contexts would help supplement conservation policy for the big cat and consequently benefit leopard populations across Java.
“There’s still a dearth of data and information [about Javan leopards], so we must first build that up together so that the output of those data can be informative for the [conservation] managers and strengthen the intervention plan that will be implemented,” he said.
The island of Java is smaller in in size than Ireland, but home to nearly 30 times the human population — some 145 million people — meaning the space available to Javan leopards has always been severely constricted, and ever-shrinking. Experts have suggested conservation efforts should focus on raising public awareness, managing small habitat areas, reducing human-leopard conflicts, and connecting isolated populations to ensure their survival.
A 2023 study found that Javan leopards lost more than 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of habitat from 2000 to 2020, with their most suitable living areas shrinking by more than 40%. Conservationists stress the need for detailed population studies and point out that much of the suitable habitat lies outside protected areas, highlighting the urgent need for better conservation efforts.
Citations:
Ariyanto, A. C., Wang, T., Skidmore, A. K., Wibisono, H. T., Widodo, F. A., Firdaus, A. Y., … Murdyatmaka, W. (2024). Range-wide camera traps reveal potential prey species for Javan leopards. Global Ecology and Conservation, 53. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03020
As’ary, M., Setiawan, Y., & Rinaldi, D. (2023). Analysis of changes in habitat suitability of the Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas, Cuvier 1809) on Java Island, 2000-2020. Diversity, 15(4), 529. doi:10.3390/d15040529
This article by Basten Gokkon was first published by Mongabay.com on 23 July 2024. Lead Image: A Javan leopard caught on a camera trap in Mount Papandayan, West Java. Image courtesy of the West Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency.
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