Sunda Clouded Leopards (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Researchers from Oxford University studied the Sunda clouded leopard, Borneo’s top predator, to highlight the impact of deforestation on its habitat.

Sunda Clouded Leopards

• About: It is a medium-sized wild cat
• Scientific Name: Neofelis diardi
• Habitat: Islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Within Borneo, this species occurs in lowland rainforest, below 1,500m of elevation, It is also thought to occur within the protected areas of Sabah, Malaysia.
• In 2006, it was classified as a species, distinct from the Clouded leopard in mainland Southeast Asia.
• Population: There are just 3,800 Sunda clouded leopards remaining in the Borneo forests.
• Conservation:

oIUCN Red List status: Vulnerable.

oMARXAN Software: To test different conservation plans and find the best places to protect.

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Clouded Leopard

• Habitat: Inhabits dense forests of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China.
• Species: Includes the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi).
• Life Span: 12 to 15 years
• Geographic Range: Found in southern China, Bhutan, Nepal, northeast India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Bangladesh.
• In India: It occurs in the states of Sikkim, northern West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, as well as in the Meghalaya subtropical forests.