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David W Macdonald - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Density trends of wild felids in northern Laos
Biodiversity and Conservation, 2021Co-Authors: Akchousanh Rasphone, Jan F. Kamler, Mathias Tobler, David W MacdonaldAbstract:Determining the density trends of a guild of species can help illuminate their interactions, and the impacts that humans might have on them. We estimated the density trends from 2013 to 2017 of the Clouded Leopard Neofelis nebulosa , Leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis and marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata in Nam Et—Phou Louey National Park (NEPL), Laos, using camera trap data and spatial capture-recapture models. Mean (± SD ) density estimates (individuals/100 km^2) for all years were 1.77 ± 0.30 for Clouded Leopard, 1.50 ± 0.30 for Leopard cat, and 3.80 ± 0.70 for marbled cat. There was a declining trend in density across the study years for all three species, with a ≥ 90% probability of decline for Clouded Leopard and Leopard cat and an 83% probability of decline for marbled cat. There was no evidence that mesopredator release occurred as a result of tiger ( Panthera tigris ) and Leopard ( P. pardus ) extirpations. We believe that snaring, the factor that led to the extirpation of tiger and Leopard in NEPL, is now contributing to the decline of smaller felids, to an extent that over-rides any potential effects of mesopredator release on their densities and interactions. We recommend that the NEPL managers implement a more systematic and intensified snare removal program, in concert with extensive community outreach and engagement of local people to prevent the setting of snares. These actions might be the only hope for saving the remaining members of the felid community in NEPL.
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sunda Clouded Leopard neofelis diardi densities and human activities in the humid evergreen rainforests of sumatra
Oryx, 2021Co-Authors: Iding Achmad Haidir, David W Macdonald, Matthew LinkieAbstract:Most species of wild felids are threatened, but for many little is known about their status in the wild. For the cryptic and elusive Vulnerable Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi, key metrics such as abundance and occupancy have been challenging to obtain. We conducted an intensive survey for this species on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. We deployed camera traps across four study areas that varied in elevation and threats, for a total of 28,404 trap nights, resulting in 114 independent Clouded Leopard photographs, in which we identified 18 individuals. Using a Bayesian spatially explicit capture–recapture analysis, we estimated Clouded Leopard density to be 0.8–2.4 individuals/100 km2. The highest predicted occurrence of people was at lower altitudes and closer to the forest edge, where we categorized more than two-thirds of people recorded by camera traps as bird poachers, 12.5% each as ungulate/tiger poachers and non-timber collectors, and < 2% as fishers. Our findings provide important insights into the status of this little known species in Sumatra. We recommend that the large volume of camera-trap data from other Sumatran landscapes be used for an island-wide assessment of the Clouded Leopard population, to provide up-to-date and reliable information for guiding future conservation planning.
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Temporal partitioning by felids, dholes and their potential prey in northern Laos
Mammal Research, 2020Co-Authors: Akchousanh Rasphone, Jan F. Kamler, David W MacdonaldAbstract:Temporal partitioning can allow sympatric carnivores to coexist, especially if overlap of other resources is high. Using camera trap data from 2013 to 2017, we investigated the temporal partitioning of a community of wild felids and a canid in Nam Et–Phou Louey National Protected Area, Laos, to determine the extent to which temporal avoidance might be facilitating coexistence of similarly sized carnivores. We also investigated temporal overlap of these carnivore species and their presumed main prey, to determine if their activity is likely most influenced by their prey or potential competitors. The dhole ( Cuon alpinus ) and Clouded Leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa ), the two largest carnivores, had low temporal overlap, and activity appeared to be synchronized with the main prey for dhole, but not Clouded Leopard. Thus, it was possible that Clouded Leopard used temporal partitioning to coexist with dhole. The temporal overlap of Asian golden cat ( Catopuma temminckii ) was high with Clouded Leopard and moderate with dhole, and overall appeared to be influenced most by its presumed prey species, rather than by its potential competitors. The two small felids had the least temporal overlap between any species, as the marbled cat ( Pardofelis marmorata ) was primarily diurnal whereas the Leopard cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ) was primarily nocturnal. Given that the two small felids reportedly have similar diets consisting of small rodents and birds, their temporal partitioning is likely to help facilitate their coexistence. For carnivore species in northern Laos that are most similar in body size and diet, temporal partitioning is likely to be an important mechanism of coexistence. Otherwise, temporal patterns appear to be synchronized with their main prey.
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simulating the impact of belt and road initiative and other major developments in myanmar on an ambassador felid the Clouded Leopard neofelis nebulosa
Landscape Ecology, 2020Co-Authors: żaneta Kaszta, Samuel A Cushman, Dawn Burnham, Saw Htun, Hla Naing, David W MacdonaldAbstract:After decades of political and economic isolation, Myanmar is now the focus of large international investments, particularly from China, which raises questions of how to balance national development with safeguarding the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. To evaluate the impact of five major developments in Myanmar on forest ecosystems, using Clouded Leopard as a focal and umbrella species for wider biodiversity conservation. Based on an empirical habitat relationships model, we identified core areas and corridors in Myanmar, and compared them across the development scenarios. We simulated population dynamics and genetic diversity in each scenario using an individual-based, spatially explicit cost-distance population genetics model. The predicted current Clouded Leopard population may be larger than the current carrying capacity of the landscape, raising the possibility that the species’ population has not yet equilibrated with recent habitat loss and degradation. All the developments combined resulted in 36% decrease in landscape connectivity and 29% decrease in simulated Clouded Leopard population size, including substantial reduction in genetic diversity. Each development was predicted to have a negative effect; however, emerging economic zones had disproportionally large impacts (− 24% in connectivity and − 25% in population size), resulting in fragmentation of the largest core areas. Similarly, the Indian Highway and Silk Road caused fragmentation of the largest core habitats, and the Pipeline Railroad significantly decreased connectivity in the main stronghold for Clouded Leopards. Spatially-explicit assessments like the one presented here provide quantitative evaluation on development impacts and help optimize the trade-offs between development and conservation. The rapid and increasing development of Myanmar and surrounding Southeast Asian nations pose an enormous threat to the biodiversity of the region. Optimizing the trade-off between development goals and conservation is essential to minimize the effects of rapid land use change on biodiversity.
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integrating sunda Clouded Leopard neofelis diardi conservation into development and restoration planning in sabah borneo
Biological Conservation, 2019Co-Authors: żaneta Kaszta, Ewan A Macdonald, Samuel A Cushman, Andrew J Hearn, Dawn Burnham, Benoit Goossens, Senthilvel K S S Nathan, David W MacdonaldAbstract:Abstract Changes in land use/cover are the main drivers of global biodiversity loss, and thus tools to evaluate effects of landscape change on biodiversity are crucial. In this study we integrated several methods from landscape ecology and landscape genetics into a GIS-based analytical framework, and evaluated the impacts of development and forest restoration scenarios on landscape connectivity, population dynamics and genetic diversity of Sunda Clouded Leopard in the Malaysian state of Sabah. We also investigated the separate and interactive effects of changing mortality risk and connectivity. Our study suggested that the current Clouded Leopard population size is larger (+26%) than the current carrying capacity of the landscape due to time lag effects and extinction debt. Additionally, we predicted that proposed developments in Sabah may decrease landscape connectivity by 23% and, when including the increased mortality risk associated with these developments, result in a 40–63% decrease in population size and substantial reduction in genetic diversity. These negative impacts could be mitigated only to a very limited degree through extensive and targeted forest restoration. Our results suggest that realignment of roads and railways based on resistance to movement, without including mortality risk, might be misleading and may in some cases lead to decrease in population size. We therefore recommend that efforts to optimally plan road and railway locations base the optimization on effects of development on population size, density and distribution rather than solely on population connectivity.
Andrew J Hearn - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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integrating sunda Clouded Leopard neofelis diardi conservation into development and restoration planning in sabah borneo
Biological Conservation, 2019Co-Authors: żaneta Kaszta, Ewan A Macdonald, Samuel A Cushman, Andrew J Hearn, Dawn Burnham, Benoit Goossens, Senthilvel K S S Nathan, David W MacdonaldAbstract:Abstract Changes in land use/cover are the main drivers of global biodiversity loss, and thus tools to evaluate effects of landscape change on biodiversity are crucial. In this study we integrated several methods from landscape ecology and landscape genetics into a GIS-based analytical framework, and evaluated the impacts of development and forest restoration scenarios on landscape connectivity, population dynamics and genetic diversity of Sunda Clouded Leopard in the Malaysian state of Sabah. We also investigated the separate and interactive effects of changing mortality risk and connectivity. Our study suggested that the current Clouded Leopard population size is larger (+26%) than the current carrying capacity of the landscape due to time lag effects and extinction debt. Additionally, we predicted that proposed developments in Sabah may decrease landscape connectivity by 23% and, when including the increased mortality risk associated with these developments, result in a 40–63% decrease in population size and substantial reduction in genetic diversity. These negative impacts could be mitigated only to a very limited degree through extensive and targeted forest restoration. Our results suggest that realignment of roads and railways based on resistance to movement, without including mortality risk, might be misleading and may in some cases lead to decrease in population size. We therefore recommend that efforts to optimally plan road and railway locations base the optimization on effects of development on population size, density and distribution rather than solely on population connectivity.
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Responses of Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi population density to anthropogenic disturbance: refining estimates of its conservation status in Sabah
'Cambridge University Press (CUP)', 2019Co-Authors: Benoit Goossens, David W Macdonald, Joanna Ross, Henry Bernard, Luke T B Hunter, Soffian Abu Bakar, Andrew J HearnAbstract:Extensive areas of tropical forests have been, and continue to be, disturbed as a result of selective timber extraction. Although such anthropogenic disturbance typically results in the loss of biodiversity, many species persist, and their conservation in production landscapes could be enhanced by a greater understanding of how biodiversity responds to forest management practices. We conducted intensive camera-trap surveys of eight protected forest areas in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and developed estimates of Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi population density from spatially explicit capture–recapture analyses of detection data to investigate how the species’ abundance varies across the landscape and in response to anthropogenic disturbance. Estimates of population density from six forest areas were 1.39–3.10 individuals per 100 km2. Our study provides the first evidence that the population density of the Sunda Clouded Leopard is negatively affected by hunting pressure and forest fragmentation, and that among selectively logged forests, time since logging is positively associated with abundance. We argue that these negative anthropogenic impacts could be mitigated with improved logging practices, such as reducing the access of poachers by effective gating and destruction of road access points, and by the deployment of anti-poaching patrols. By calculating a weighted mean population density estimate from estimates developed here and from the literature, and by extrapolating this value to an estimate of current available habitat, we estimate there are 754 (95% posterior interval 325–1,337) Sunda Clouded Leopards in Sabah
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multi scale habitat selection modeling identifies threats and conservation opportunities for the sunda Clouded Leopard neofelis diardi
Biological Conservation, 2018Co-Authors: David W Macdonald, Andrew J Hearn, Susan M. Cheyne, Iding Achmad Haidir, Luke T B Hunter, żaneta Kaszta, Helen M Bothwell, Matthew LinkieAbstract:Abstract Clouded Leopards are among Asia's most widely distributed felids, but also among its least known and most vulnerable. Clouded Leopards occur in some of the most rapidly disappearing forests in the world, yet a comprehensive assessment of their status and habitat use is lacking, which in turn limits identification of their priority conservation needs and capacity to act as umbrella species for conserving associated forest biodiversity. To address this need for the Sunda species (Neofelis diardi), we applied multi-scale modeling to identify both key environmental variables influencing habitat use and optimal scales of relationship with these variables. We detected Clouded Leopards at 18.3% of 1544 camera stations and 17 of 22 sampling locations on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Multi-scale GLMM revealed that recent forest loss and large-scale plantations strongly and negatively influence Clouded Leopard detection. Our findings also suggest that higher elevations and ridges are important components of N. diardi habitat use. We illustrate how scale optimization of habitat use can provide critical information for characterizing the requirements of protected areas, and identify core habitat patches and connectivity gaps in need of future protection. Our findings indicate greater challenges facing Clouded Leopards on Sumatra, including higher poaching pressure, greater fragmentation, and roughly half the habitat area available to N. diardi on Borneo. This research contributes vital insights to assist in prioritizing habitat conservation networks for the protection of this vulnerable felid and the forest biodiversity for which it is an ambassador species.
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simulating impacts of rapid forest loss on population size connectivity and genetic diversity of sunda Clouded Leopards neofelis diardi in borneo
PLOS ONE, 2018Co-Authors: Ewan A Macdonald, Samuel A Cushman, Erin L Landguth, Andrew J Hearn, Yadvinder Malhi, David W MacdonaldAbstract:Habitat loss is the greatest threat to biodiversity in Borneo, and to anticipate and combat its effects it is important to predict the pattern of loss and its consequences. Borneo is a region of extremely high biodiversity from which forest is being lost faster than in any other. The little-known Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi) is the top predator in Borneo and is likely to depend critically on habitat connectivity that is currently being rapidly lost to deforestation. We modeled the effects of landscape fragmentation on population size, genetic diversity and population connectivity for the Sunda Clouded Leopard across the entirety of Borneo. We modelled the impacts of land use change between the years 2000, 2010 and projected forwards to 2020. We found substantial reductions across all metrics between 2000 and 2010: the proportion of landscape connected by dispersal fell by approximately 12.5% and the largest patch size declined by around 15.1%, leading to a predicted 11.4% decline in Clouded Leopard numbers. We also predict that these trends will accelerate greatly towards 2020, with the percentage of the landscape being connected by dispersal falling by about 57.8%, the largest patch size falling by around 62.8% and the predicted Clouded Leopard population falling by 62.5% between 2010 and 2020. We predicted that these large declines in Clouded Leopard population size and connectivity will also substantially reduce the genetic diversity of the remaining Clouded Leopard population.
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evaluating scenarios of landscape change for sunda Clouded Leopard connectivity in a human dominated landscape
Biological Conservation, 2018Co-Authors: Andrew J Hearn, Ewan A Macdonald, Samuel A Cushman, Joanna Ross, Luke T B Hunter, Benoit Goossens, Nicola K Abram, David W MacdonaldAbstract:Abstract The forests of Borneo support some of the highest biodiversity in the world, yet have experienced among the world's highest rates of deforestation. Such rapid forest loss and associated fragmentation reduces the availability of suitable habitat for wildlife and creates dispersion barriers. Understanding the prevalence and impacts of this anthropogenic disturbance, and developing ways in which to mitigate such changes, is thus critical to the conservation of Borneo's wildlife. Here, we applied a path selection function with conditional logistic regression and used it to develop a resistance surface for a population of Sunda Clouded Leopards (Neofelis diardi) residing within a fragmented and human dominated landscape in Malaysian Borneo. We used cumulative resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path analysis to predict how connectivity may change in response to four future scenarios involving conversion of remaining unproductive forest to palm oil plantations, conversion of unproductive palm oil back to forest, and restoration of a riparian buffer zone along the river, and combination of the two forest restoration scenarios. We showed that Sunda Clouded Leopard movement is facilitated by forest canopy cover and resisted by non-forest vegetation, particularly recently cleared/planted and underproductive (flooded) plantation areas with low canopy closure. By combining resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path modelling we mapped core areas and the main linkages among them, and identified several key pinch points that may limit regional connectivity of the population. We predict that Sunda Clouded Leopard connectivity in the region can be greatly enhanced through the protection of privately owned forest patches and the reforestation of underproductive oil palm plantation areas, and creation of a forested buffer zone along the river. Conversely, we show that if the region's unprotected forests were to be converted to plantations then connectivity across the Kinabatangan floodplain would be significantly reduced.
Susan M. Cheyne - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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multi scale habitat selection modeling identifies threats and conservation opportunities for the sunda Clouded Leopard neofelis diardi
Biological Conservation, 2018Co-Authors: David W Macdonald, Andrew J Hearn, Susan M. Cheyne, Iding Achmad Haidir, Luke T B Hunter, żaneta Kaszta, Helen M Bothwell, Matthew LinkieAbstract:Abstract Clouded Leopards are among Asia's most widely distributed felids, but also among its least known and most vulnerable. Clouded Leopards occur in some of the most rapidly disappearing forests in the world, yet a comprehensive assessment of their status and habitat use is lacking, which in turn limits identification of their priority conservation needs and capacity to act as umbrella species for conserving associated forest biodiversity. To address this need for the Sunda species (Neofelis diardi), we applied multi-scale modeling to identify both key environmental variables influencing habitat use and optimal scales of relationship with these variables. We detected Clouded Leopards at 18.3% of 1544 camera stations and 17 of 22 sampling locations on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Multi-scale GLMM revealed that recent forest loss and large-scale plantations strongly and negatively influence Clouded Leopard detection. Our findings also suggest that higher elevations and ridges are important components of N. diardi habitat use. We illustrate how scale optimization of habitat use can provide critical information for characterizing the requirements of protected areas, and identify core habitat patches and connectivity gaps in need of future protection. Our findings indicate greater challenges facing Clouded Leopards on Sumatra, including higher poaching pressure, greater fragmentation, and roughly half the habitat area available to N. diardi on Borneo. This research contributes vital insights to assist in prioritizing habitat conservation networks for the protection of this vulnerable felid and the forest biodiversity for which it is an ambassador species.
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biodiversity of the sebangau tropical peat swamp forest indonesian borneo
Mires and Peat, 2018Co-Authors: Simon J. Husson, Susan M. Cheyne, Suwido H Limin, N S Boyd, J J Brousseau, S Collier, Laura Darcy, R A Dow, N W Dowds, M L DragiewiczAbstract:We thank the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology (RISTEK) and UPT LLG CIMTROP UPR for research permissions in the NLPSF. Collection of the species records described here has been made possible through financial support from a large number of sources over the years, among which we are particularly indebted to The Orangutan Project, Arcus Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service Great Apes Conservation Fund, the StOLT fund of SaveTheOrangutan and the Orangutan Land Trust, Orangutan Appeal UK, EAZA, Bioparcs Foundation, Orangutan Outreach, Orangutan Conservancy, Taronga Zoo, Riverbanks Zoo, Wallace Global Fund, Ocean Parks Conservation Foundation Hong Kong, Wildlife Conservation Society, Primate Conservation Inc., IFAW, Karen Hanssen Trust, the Rufford Foundation, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Clouded Leopard Project, Fresno Chafee Zoo, and Panthera and Robertson Foundation (through WildCRU, University of Oxford). A large number of staff, students, volunteers and other visitors from Borneo Nature Foundation and other organisations have contributed to this work, both generally and byWe thank the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology (RISTEK) and UPT LLG CIMTROP UPR for research permissions in the NLPSF. Collection of the species records described here has been made possible through financial support from a large number of sources over the years, among which we are particularly indebted to The Orangutan Project, Arcus Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service Great Apes Conservation Fund, the StOLT fund of SaveTheOrangutan and the Orangutan Land Trust, Orangutan Appeal UK, EAZA, Bioparcs Foundation, Orangutan Outreach, Orangutan Conservancy, Taronga Zoo, Riverbanks Zoo, Wallace Global Fund, Ocean Parks Conservation Foundation Hong Kong, Wildlife Conservation Society, Primate Conservation Inc., IFAW, Karen Hanssen Trust, the Rufford Foundation, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Clouded Leopard Project, Fresno Chafee Zoo, and Panthera and Robertson Foundation (through WildCRU, University of Oxford). A large number of staff, students, volunteers and other visitors from Borneo Nature Foundation and other organisations have contributed to this work, both generally and byWe thank the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology (RISTEK) and UPT LLG CIMTROP UPR for research permissions in the NLPSF. Collection of the species records described here has been made possible through financial support from a large number of sources over the years, among which we are particularly indebted to The Orangutan Project, Arcus Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service Great Apes Conservation Fund, the StOLT fund of SaveTheOrangutan and the Orangutan Land Trust, Orangutan Appeal UK, EAZA, Bioparcs Foundation, Orangutan Outreach, Orangutan Conservancy, Taronga Zoo, Riverbanks Zoo, Wallace Global Fund, Ocean Parks Conservation Foundation Hong Kong, Wildlife Conservation Society, Primate Conservation Inc., IFAW, Karen Hanssen Trust, the Rufford Foundation, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Clouded Leopard Project, Fresno Chafee Zoo, and Panthera and Robertson Foundation (through WildCRU, University of Oxford). A large number of staff, students, volunteers and other visitors from Borneo Nature Foundation and other organisations have contributed to this work, both generally and by contributing records; we express our sincere gratitude to all of them.
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Felids of Sebangau: Camera trapping to estimate activity patterns and population abundance in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia
2016Co-Authors: Bernat Ripoll, Suwido H Limin, Susan M. CheyneAbstract:project in the Natural Laboratory of Peat-Swamp Forest in the Sebangau Catchment, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia (2008-2015). The project has identified four of the five felids on Borneo: Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi; macan dahan), flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps; kucing tandang), marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata; kucing batu) and Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis; kucing kuwuk). All of these species are protected by Indonesian Law (PP. 7/1999) and are listed on the IUCN Red List. The four species have clearly defined activity budgets, especially the smaller cats, to allow niche partitioning. We have identified this forest block as an important area for numbers of all four species in the global context of cat populations. The bay cat (Pardofelis badia (kucing merah) has not been found in tropical peat-swamp forest at time of writing
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predicted distribution of the sunda Clouded Leopard neofelis diardi mammalia carnivora felidae on borneo
Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 2016Co-Authors: Andrew J Hearn, Azlan Mohamed, Hiromitsu Samejima, David W Macdonald, Susan M. Cheyne, Joanna Ross, Gilmoore Bolongon, Jedediah F Brodie, Anthony J Giordano, Raymond AlfredAbstract:The Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi is a medium sized (15–25 kg) cat, found only on the Sundaic islands of Borneo and Sumatra. In recent years intensive camera-trapping surveys in Borneo have begun to shed light on the habitat associations and basic ecology of this elusive wild cat, but its distribution on an island-wide scale remains very poorly known. Such information is an essential element in the assessment of the Sunda Clouded Leopard’s conservation status and in the development of conservation action. In this paper we use MaxEnt niche distribution modelling to make predictions regarding the current distribution of this cat on Borneo. We collected a total of 259 occurrence records for the Sunda Clouded Leopard, stemming from all Bornean regions apart from Brunei and South Kalimantan, of which 48 (Balanced Model) or 94 (Spatial Filtering Model) were used in our modelling. Our habitat suitability model suggests that this species has a widespread distribution over a large contiguous portion of Borneo. The only exception is South Kalimantan, which is predicted largely to comprise unsuitable habitat. The predicted distribution closely follows the current distribution of little-encroached forest on Borneo (including selectively logged and unlogged areas). The species is notably predicted to be absent from the extensive areas of oil palm plantation, particularly in much of the low-lying coastal land. The predicted range encompasses a large proportion of the existing and proposed protected area network on Borneo. We highlight the priority areas for the conservation of the Sunda Clouded Leopard in Borneo based on our predicted distribution.
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first estimates of population ecology and threats to sunda Clouded Leopards neofelis diardi in a peat swamp forest indonesia
Endangered Species Research, 2013Co-Authors: Susan M. Cheyne, Danica J Stark, Suwido H Limin, David W MacdonaldAbstract:The Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi is Borneo's largest predator. A study of the species' population ecology in 50 km 2 (effective sample area 145 km 2 ) of the Sabangau forest, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, spanned May 2008 to January 2012. A total of 54 camera traps at 27 stations yielded 35 129 functional trap nights resulting in 90 photos of 6 Clouded Leopards: 5 males and 1 female. Using capture-recapture analysis in 3 mo blocks, we extrapolated to an esti- mated density range of 0.72 to 4.41 ind. per 100 km 2 across all models and all data sets. Direct hunting pressure on the cats and indirect threats through possible depletion of the prey base by humans were assessed though interview and questionnaire surveys of 68 villagers in 9 villages around the edge of the 5600 km 2 Sabangau Forest. Of the respondents, 40% hunted deer and bearded pigs, although no respondent listed hunting as their main source of income or food. The low detection rates of Clouded Leopards suggests that a minimum area of 100 km 2 per site, and multiple sites, should be studied to elucidate the impact of habitat disturbance and fragmentation on Clouded Leopard populations.
Joanna Ross - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Factors affecting the occurrence and activity of Clouded Leopards, common Leopards and Leopard cats in the Himalayas
Biodiversity and Conservation, 2020Co-Authors: Bhupendra Prasad Yadav, Paul J. Johnson, Joanna Ross, Neil D’cruzeAbstract:Clouded Leopards are one of the least known of larger felids and were believed to be extinct in Nepal until 1987. They are particularly interesting because their Asian range spans a diversity of habitats in the fastest disappearing forests in the world and encompasses a guild which differs in composition from place to place. As a part of a wider camera-trapping study of this guild, involving 2948 camera traps at 45 sites in nine countries, and paralleling a similar study of the Sunda Clouded Leopard including a further 1544 camera traps spanning 22 sites distributed across two countries, we deployed 84 pairs of camera traps for 107 days in 2014 and 2015 at Langtang National Park, Nepal between 1823 and 3824 m a.s.l. within a grid encompassing c. 120 km^2. We documented the presence of Clouded Leopards for the first time at an altitude as high as 3498 m a.s.l. Naïve occupancy for Clouded Leopard was 8.6% (correcting for detection, 10.1%). Clouded Leopards were least active in the middle of the day, and largely crepuscular and nocturnal, as were the common Leopards and Leopard cats. The peak of Clouded Leopard activity overlapped with that of musk deer. Prey species for both Clouded Leopard and common Leopard were available across the elevation range studied although the availability of some prey species declined as elevation increased, whereas Himalayan serow, Himalayan goral, and musk deer showed no association with elevation. Before this study, there was no hard evidence that Clouded Leopards occurred above 2300 m a.s.l., having documented them at almost 4000 m a.s.l. in the Himalayas, we emphasise the importance of this extreme portion of the species’ range where climate is likely to change more rapidly and with greater consequences, than the global average. The discovery of Clouded Leopards in Langtang National Park considerably extends their known range, and raises the possibility that they occur from the Terai in southern Nepal up to the Nepal-Tibet (China) border in the north. Insofar as this study has extended the known extreme boundary of the Clouded Leopard’s geographic range to encompass Langtang National Park in the Nepali Himalayas.
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Responses of Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi population density to anthropogenic disturbance: refining estimates of its conservation status in Sabah
'Cambridge University Press (CUP)', 2019Co-Authors: Benoit Goossens, David W Macdonald, Joanna Ross, Henry Bernard, Luke T B Hunter, Soffian Abu Bakar, Andrew J HearnAbstract:Extensive areas of tropical forests have been, and continue to be, disturbed as a result of selective timber extraction. Although such anthropogenic disturbance typically results in the loss of biodiversity, many species persist, and their conservation in production landscapes could be enhanced by a greater understanding of how biodiversity responds to forest management practices. We conducted intensive camera-trap surveys of eight protected forest areas in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and developed estimates of Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi population density from spatially explicit capture–recapture analyses of detection data to investigate how the species’ abundance varies across the landscape and in response to anthropogenic disturbance. Estimates of population density from six forest areas were 1.39–3.10 individuals per 100 km2. Our study provides the first evidence that the population density of the Sunda Clouded Leopard is negatively affected by hunting pressure and forest fragmentation, and that among selectively logged forests, time since logging is positively associated with abundance. We argue that these negative anthropogenic impacts could be mitigated with improved logging practices, such as reducing the access of poachers by effective gating and destruction of road access points, and by the deployment of anti-poaching patrols. By calculating a weighted mean population density estimate from estimates developed here and from the literature, and by extrapolating this value to an estimate of current available habitat, we estimate there are 754 (95% posterior interval 325–1,337) Sunda Clouded Leopards in Sabah
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evaluating scenarios of landscape change for sunda Clouded Leopard connectivity in a human dominated landscape
Biological Conservation, 2018Co-Authors: Andrew J Hearn, Ewan A Macdonald, Samuel A Cushman, Joanna Ross, Luke T B Hunter, Benoit Goossens, Nicola K Abram, David W MacdonaldAbstract:Abstract The forests of Borneo support some of the highest biodiversity in the world, yet have experienced among the world's highest rates of deforestation. Such rapid forest loss and associated fragmentation reduces the availability of suitable habitat for wildlife and creates dispersion barriers. Understanding the prevalence and impacts of this anthropogenic disturbance, and developing ways in which to mitigate such changes, is thus critical to the conservation of Borneo's wildlife. Here, we applied a path selection function with conditional logistic regression and used it to develop a resistance surface for a population of Sunda Clouded Leopards (Neofelis diardi) residing within a fragmented and human dominated landscape in Malaysian Borneo. We used cumulative resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path analysis to predict how connectivity may change in response to four future scenarios involving conversion of remaining unproductive forest to palm oil plantations, conversion of unproductive palm oil back to forest, and restoration of a riparian buffer zone along the river, and combination of the two forest restoration scenarios. We showed that Sunda Clouded Leopard movement is facilitated by forest canopy cover and resisted by non-forest vegetation, particularly recently cleared/planted and underproductive (flooded) plantation areas with low canopy closure. By combining resistant kernel and factorial least-cost path modelling we mapped core areas and the main linkages among them, and identified several key pinch points that may limit regional connectivity of the population. We predict that Sunda Clouded Leopard connectivity in the region can be greatly enhanced through the protection of privately owned forest patches and the reforestation of underproductive oil palm plantation areas, and creation of a forested buffer zone along the river. Conversely, we show that if the region's unprotected forests were to be converted to plantations then connectivity across the Kinabatangan floodplain would be significantly reduced.
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Temporal activity patterns of four sympatric Bornean felid species as estimated by kernel density estimates.
2018Co-Authors: Andrew J Hearn, Samuel A Cushman, Joanna Ross, Luke T B Hunter, Benoit Goossens, David W MacdonaldAbstract:a: Sunda Clouded Leopard males; b: Sunda Clouded Leopard females; c: bay cat; d: marbled cat; e: Leopard cat. Activity data were derived from pooled camera trap surveys of ten study areas in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Dotted vertical lines indicate approximate times for dawn and dusk, and individual photographic detection times are indicated by the short vertical lines above the x-axis.
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responses of sunda Clouded Leopard neofelis diardi population density to anthropogenic disturbance refining estimates of its conservation status in sabah
Oryx, 2017Co-Authors: Andrew J Hearn, Joanna Ross, Henry Bernard, Luke T B Hunter, Benoit Goossens, Soffian Abu Bakar, David W MacdonaldAbstract:Extensive areas of tropical forests have been, and continue to be, disturbed as a result of selective timber extraction. Although such anthropogenic disturbance typically results in the loss of biodiversity, many species persist, and their conservation in production landscapes could be enhanced by a greater understanding of how biodiversity responds to forest management practices. We conducted intensive camera-trap surveys of eight protected forest areas in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, and developed estimates of Sunda Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi population density from spatially explicit capture–recapture analyses of detection data to investigate how the species’ abundance varies across the landscape and in response to anthropogenic disturbance. Estimates of population density from six forest areas were 1.39–3.10 individuals per 100 km2. Our study provides the first evidence that the population density of the Sunda Clouded Leopard is negatively affected by hunting pressure and forest fragmentation, and that among selectively logged forests, time since logging is positively associated with abundance. We argue that these negative anthropogenic impacts could be mitigated with improved logging practices, such as reducing the access of poachers by effective gating and destruction of road access points, and by the deployment of anti-poaching patrols. By calculating a weighted mean population density estimate from estimates developed here and from the literature, and by extrapolating this value to an estimate of current available habitat, we estimate there are 754 (95% posterior interval 325–1,337) Sunda Clouded Leopards in Sabah.
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a neotype of the Clouded Leopard neofelis nebulosa griffith 1821
Mammalian Biology, 2011Co-Authors: Per Christiansen, Andrew C KitchenerAbstract:Recent research has recognised that the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is, in fact, two separate species, which differ markedly with respect to craniodental and pelage morphology and genomic characters. There is confusion about the origin and inaccuracies in the description of the nominal specimen, and the undisputed lack of a type specimen prompts designation of a neotype of Neofelis nebulosa. In this paper a neotype specimen consisting of a skin, a skull, and a mandible (BM1955.1644) is designated, which is housed at the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London. The type locality of Neofelis nebulosa is fixed as Chumphon, Peninsular Thailand, under Article 76 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, rather than the original and dubious locality of Canton, China by Edward Griffith. Descriptive data of the neotype specimen are accompanied by comparisons with other specimens of both species of Neofelis, N. nebulosa and N. diardi.
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geographical variation in and evolutionary history of the sunda Clouded Leopard neofelis diardi mammalia carnivora felidae with the description of a new subspecies from borneo
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2011Co-Authors: Andreas Wilting, Laurentius Ambu, Per Christiansen, Andrew C Kitchener, Yvonne J M Kemp, Jorns FickelAbstract:Recent morphological and molecular studies led to the recognition of two extant species of Clouded Leopards; Neofelis nebulosa from mainland southeast Asia and Neofelis diardi from the Sunda Islands of Borneo and Sumatra, including the Batu Islands. In addition to these new species-level distinctions, preliminary molecular data suggested a genetic substructure that separates Bornean and Sumatran Clouded Leopards, indicating the possibility of two subspecies of N. diardi. This suggestion was based on an analysis of only three Sumatran and seven Bornean individuals. Accordingly, in this study we re-evaluated this proposed subspecies differentiation using additional molecular (mainly historical) samples of eight Bornean and 13 Sumatran Clouded Leopards; a craniometric analysis of 28 specimens; and examination of pelage morphology of 20 museum specimens and of photographs of 12 wild camera-trapped animals. Molecular (mtDNA and microsatellite loci), craniomandibular and dental analyses strongly support the differentiation of Bornean and Sumatran Clouded Leopards, but pelage characteristics fail to separate them completely, most probably owing to small sample sizes, but it may also reflect habitat similarities between the two islands and their recent divergence. However, some provisional discriminating pelage characters are presented that need further testing. According to our estimates both populations diverged from each other during the Middle to Late Pleistocene (between 400 and 120 kyr). We present a discussion on the evolutionary history of Neofelis diardi sspp. on the Sunda Shelf, a revised taxonomy for the Sunda Clouded Leopard, N. diardi, and formally describe the Bornean subspecies, Neofelis diardi borneensis, including the designation of a holotype (BM.3.4.9.2 from Baram, Sarawak) in accordance with the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
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Species distinction and evolutionary differences in the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and Diard's Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi)
Journal of Mammalogy, 2008Co-Authors: Per ChristiansenAbstract:Based on examination of molecular data and pelage patterns, it has recently been suggested that the island populations of the Clouded Leopard, traditionally considered a subspecies, may, in fact constitute a separate species. In this paper, I demonstrate that the island populations deviate strongly from the mainland populations in a large number of cranial, mandibular, and dental characters. The differences far exceed those that have been documented for subspecies within other pantherine felids, and are congruent with a separate species, to which the name Sundaland Clouded Leopard, Neofelis diardi, has been given, although the name Diard's cat has priority based on historical precedence. I suggest that the vernacular name Diard's Clouded Leopard be adopted for Neofelis diardi. In contrast, mainland populations diverge less from each other, and are congruent with 1 species (Neofelis nebulosa) and 2 subspecies, the western (N. n. macrosceloides) and eastern (N. n. nebulosa) Clouded Leopard. Neofelis deviates from other large felids in many aspects of craniodental morphology, and most likely also in several behavioral aspects. Diard's Clouded Leopard appears more derived with respects to saber-toothed craniodental features than the Clouded Leopard, indicating that the former may have gone farther than the latter in convergently evolving craniomandibular features traditionally considered characteristic of primitive saber-toothed felids.
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Evolutionary convergence of primitive sabertooth craniomandibular morphology: the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and Paramachairodus ogygia compared
Journal of Mammalian Evolution, 2008Co-Authors: Per ChristiansenAbstract:The sabertoothed felids were among the most unusual predators in the late Tertiary ecosystems, and the sabertooth morphology is regarded as being absent from the modern ecosystems. In recent years, the primitive Paramachairodus has become well known and has yielded much valuable information on the primitive skull morphology among sabercats, providing the first evidence-based scenarios for the evolution of skull morphology in later sabercats. However, comparison of craniomandibular morphology of the extant Clouded Leopard Neofelis nebulosa and Paramachairodus reveals numerous similarities and subsequent divergence from other extant great cats. In several key aspects, the Clouded Leopard has approached a primitive sabercat craniomandibular morphology and has diverged markedly from its sister group, the Panthera lineage. A primitive sabertooth condition arose six times in the Tertiary period, not five as is traditionally advocated. The Clouded Leopard appears to be a useful model for understanding primitive sabercat morphology and could shed important light on sabercat evolution. The unusual nature of the Clouded Leopard implies that increased efforts should be spent on insuring the continuing survival of this rare and endangered species.
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sabertooth characters in the Clouded Leopard neofelis nebulosa griffiths 1821
Journal of Morphology, 2006Co-Authors: Per ChristiansenAbstract:The Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is an unusual medium-sized felid whose ecology in the wild is poorly known. Mainly famous for its large canines, it has often been an overlooked taxon in analyses of felid morphology and systematics or has proven aberrant and difficult to interpret. In this article I report on a number of unusual features in the Clouded Leopard skull hitherto considered characteristic of sabertooth felids exclusively, and, accordingly, universally believed to be absent in extant felids. The skull morphology of the Clouded Leopard sets it apart from other extant felids, and in a number of respects it approaches the morphology of primitive sabertooths. This indicates convergence of several characters in machairodontine felids and the Clouded Leopard, mainly as adaptations for attaining a large gape. This raises doubts about the characters hitherto considered as distinguishing sabertoothed from nonsabertoothed predators, and since no evidence at present suggests a different functional killing and feeding ecology in Neofelis, regardless of its unusual skull morphology, also whether primitive sabertoothed felids were functionally similar to advanced forms such as Homotherium, Megantereon, or Smilodon.