BENGALURU: Contrary to belief that an increasing leopard population is leading to a rise in man-animal conflict, a recent study by scientists has revealed that their numbers have in fact dropped by 75-90% between approximately 120–200 years ago. It has suggested that conservation efforts akin to the tiger may be necessary for the leopard too in the country.
The study — Genetic analyses reveal population structure and recent decline in leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) across the Indian subcontinent — also emphasised on the importance of similar work on wide-ranging and commonly perceived as locally abundant species, as it is possible that they may show a decline in population.
The paper has been prepared by researchers from the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), Bengaluru; Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Endangered Species Management, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun; and the Nicholas School of Environment, Duke University, Durham, USA.
Kriti Karanth of CWS, who is co-author of the paper, told The New Indian Express that the leopard population in the Western Ghats region is better off than compared to the Deccan plateau and scrub and deciduous forest patches. This is because of the major collapse in area protection and management. There has also been a collapse in grassland protection, which is also the reason for the decline in leopard population.
Researchers have used genetic analysis and occupancy distribution models to assess the population decline over the last 120 years. They collected fecal samples from Terai Arc landscapes of northern India and identified 56 unique individuals using a panel of 13 micro-satellite markers. This data was then merged with already available 143 individual leopards to assess the genetic structure on the national scale.
Subsequently, they also investigated the demographic history of each identified sub-populations and compared genetic decline analyses with countrywide local extinction probabilities.The genetic analyses revealed four distinct sub-populations corresponding to the Western Ghats, Deccan Plateau-Semi Arid, Shivalik and Terai regions, each with high genetic variation. Coalescent simulations with micro-satellite loci revealed human-induced 75–90% decline in leopard population between the last 120- 200 years across India, the study said.
Researchers explained that the leopard represented the most widely-distributed and adaptable member of the family Felidae. They also frequently occur outside protected areas, increasing their vulnerability to conflict with humans. But their current distribution and numbers have significantly decreased across the range due to habitat loss, prey depletion, conflict and poaching over the last century.
The researchers added that the meta-analyses of leopard status and distribution suggests 48–67% range loss of the species in Africa and 83–87% in Asia, making them one of the top ten large carnivore species to be most affected by range contraction. Due to this, the species status is now listed under vulnerable category from near-threatened by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).