A Framework for the Conservation of the Arabian Leopard Urs Breitenmoser1, David Mallon2 and Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten1 1 KORA, Thunstrasse 31, CH-3074 Muri/Bern, Switzerland <[email protected]>, <[email protected]> 2 3 Acre St., Glossop, Derbyshire, SK13 8JS, United Kingdom <[email protected]> A Framework for the Conservation of the Arabian Leopard. The Arabian leopard is Critically Endangered according to IUCN Red List criteria. To secure its survival, a strong partnership between the range coun- tries, but also between governmental agencies, non-governmental organisations, and scientists is needed. Steps in the strategic planning for the conservation of the Arabian leopard include (1) compilation of base- line information (status reports), (2) definition of common goals and activities at the range level (conserva- tion strategy), and (3) the definition of tasks and actions for each range country (action plans). The Status Reports published in this issue form the basis for the development of a range-wide Conservation Strategy. The Strategy should be developed in a participative process using a logistic framework approach, with all relevant governmental agencies of the range countries, important non-governmental organisations, and the experts involved. The Strategy should express the common will to save the Arabian leopard and provide guidance for the definition and implementation of conservation action in the countries, which are the ma- nagement units. Consequently, it will be of outstanding importance that the political authorities in charge of nature conservation in each range country endorse the Conservation Strategy. Δϛ΍ήѧη ϡΎѧϴϗ Ϧѧϣ ΪѧΑϻ ϩ˯ΎѧϘΑ ϥΎϤπϟϭ .ΝήΤϟ΍ ΪϳΪϬΘϟ΍ ϊοϭ ϲϓ ϲΑήόϟ΍ ήϤϨϟ΍ Ϊόϳ ˬΔόϴΒτϟ΍ ϥϮμϟ ϲϟϭΪϟ΍ ΩΎΤΗϻ΍ ήϴϳΎόϣ ΐδΤΑ Δ ѧτΨϟ΍ .˯ΎϤϠόϟ΍ϭ ϦϤπѧΘΗ ΔϴϣϮϜΤϟ΍ ήϴϏ ΕΎϤψϨϤϟ΍ϭ ΔϴϣϮϜΤϟ΍ ΕΎϬΠϟ΍ ϦϴΑ ϥϭΎόΘϟ΍ ϥϮϜϳ ϥ΃ ΐΠϳϭ ˬΎϬϴϓ ζϴόϳ ϲΘϟ΍ ϝϭΪϟ΍ ϦϴΑ Ϊ ѧϳΪΤΗ( )2 ˬ(Ϧϫ΍ήѧϟ΍ ϊѧοϮϟ΍ ήϳέΎѧϘΗ) ΕΎѧϣϮϠόϣ ΓΪѧϋΎϗ ϒϴϨμѧΗϭ ϊѧϤΟ ( )1 ΔѧϴΗϵ΍ Ε΍ϮτΨϟ΍ ϲΑήόϟ΍ ήϤϨϟ΍ ϥϮμϟ ΔϴΠΗ΍ήΘγϹ΍ ΔѧϟϭΩ ϞѧϜϟ ϞѧϤόϟ΍ Ε΍ϮѧτΧϭ ϡΎѧϬϤϟ΍ ΪѧϳΪΤΗ ( )3 ϭ (ϥϮμϟ΍ ΔϴΠϴΗ΍ήΘγ·) έΎθΘϧϻ΍ ϝϭΩ ϯϮΘδϣ ϰϠϋ ΔτθϧϷ΍ϭ ΔϛήΘθϤϟ΍ ϑ΍ΪϫϷ΍ ϥϮѧλ ΔϴΠϴΗ΍ήΘѧγ· ήϳϮѧτΘϟ αΎγϷ΍ ˬέ΍ΪλϹ΍ ΍άϫ ϲϓ ΓέϮθϨϤϟ΍ ˬϦϫ΍ήϟ΍ ϊοϮϟ΍ ήϳέΎϘΗ ϞΜϤΗ .(ϞϤόϟ΍ ςτΧ) έΎθΘϧϻ΍ ϝϭΩ Ϧϣ Ε΍Ϋ ΔѧϴϣϮϜΤϟ΍ ΕΎѧϬΠϟ΍ ϊѧϴϤΟ ϊѧϣ ˬΔϴϘτϨϣ ΔϴϠϜϴϫ ΎϬϴϓ ϡΪΨΘδΗ ΔϛήΘθϣ Ε΍ϮτΧ ϲϓ ΔϴΠϴΗ΍ήΘγϹ΍ ήϳϮτΗ ΐΠϳϭ ˬϯΪϤϟ΍ Δόγ΍ϭ ΔѧΒϏήϟ΍ Ϧѧϋ ΔϴΠΗ΍ήΘγϹ΍ ήΒόΗ ϥ΃ ΐΠϳϭ .ήϣϷΎΑ ϦϴϴϨόϤϟ΍ ˯΍ήΒΨϟ΍ϭ ΔϤϬϤϟ΍ ΔϴϣϮϜΤϟ΍ ήϴϏ ΕΎϤψϨϤϟ΍ϭ έΎθΘϧϻ΍ ϝϭΩ ϲϓ Δϗϼόϟ΍ ϚϟάΑϭ .Γέ΍ΩϹ΍ Ε΍ΪΣϭ ϞΜϤΗ ϲΘϟ΍ϭ ˬϝϭΪϟ΍ ϩάϫ ϲϓ ϥϮμϟ΍ ΔϴϠϤϋ ίΎΠϧ΍ϭ ΪϳΪΤΘϟ ϪϴΟϮΘϟ΍ ϡΪϘΗ ϥ΃ϭ ϲΑήόϟ΍ ήϤϨϟ΍ ΫΎϘϧϹ ΔϛήΘθϤϟ΍ .ϥϮμϟ΍ ΔϴΠΗ΍ήΘγ· ϰϠϋ ΔϟϭΩ Ϟϛ ϲϓ ΔΌϴΒϟ΍ ΔϳΎϤΣ ϰϠϋ ϊϗϮϳ ϥ΃ ϢϬϤϟ΍ Ϧϣ ϥϮϜϴγ 1. Introduction The Arabian leopard (Panthera par- List, with the justification: “The Leo- first need to compile baseline data. At dus nimr) once roamed throughout the pard population of the Arabian peninsu- the 2003 meeting in Sharjah, the Arabi- mountains and forests of the Arabian la is estimated to number approximately an Leopard Working Group decided to Peninsula, from the Hajjar Mountains of 100 mature individuals, with a declining review all information available and to south-east Arabia, mountains of Dhofar, trend, and no subpopulation estimated to publish country-based Status Reports through Hadhramaut to the hills north contain more than 50 mature individu- (this issue). of Aden north along the mountains of als” (www.redlist.org). The Conserva- The conclusions from the Reports western Yemen and along the Asir and tion Workshop for the Fauna of Arabia are not at all reassuring. The distribu- and Hijaz ranges to the Jordan Valley organised annually by the Environment tion range of the Arabian leopard is and the Negev. During the 20th century, & Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) extremely fragmented. Only a few po- the distribution area and population size of Sharjah has put the Arabian leopard pulation nuclei remain, scattered along decreased at an alarming rate, though high on its agenda from the very first the rugged mountains and wadis in the largely unnoticed. Although the present meeting in 2000. Since then, the Cap- south and west of the peninsula. Recent distribution range is highly fragmented tive Breeding Programme co-ordinated observations are confirmed only for and was already discontinuous in his- by the Sharjah Breeding Centre for En- three localities: the very small nuclei toric times, there is good evidence that dangered Arabian Wildlife (BCEAW) in the Negev desert, one of unknown the leopard on the Peninsula including has made remarkable progress (Fig. size in Wada’a north of Sana’a, and the Negev and Sinai belong to the same 1; Edmonds et al. 2006), securing the the largest and best-preserved popula- subspecies (see Spalton & Al Hikmani survival of the taxon in captivity. The tion in the Dhofar mountains in south 2006). Since 1996, the IUCN/SSC Cat ultimate goal is however the conserva- Oman, probably stretching into eastern Specialist Group has listed P. p. nimr as tion of the Arabian leopard in the wild. Yemen. But even the largest remnant Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red To get started on this difficult road, we population in south-west Oman cannot 44 2006 be considered viable in the long-term, given its small total size and isolation. Several spots in the Al-Hijaz mountains of Saudi Arabia and in Yemen which had known occurrence in the 1980s and early 1990s, but with no recent obser- vations, remain to be surveyed (Al Ju- maily et al. 2006; Judas et al. 2006). An exchange of individuals between the remaining nuclei seems unlikely. The quality of the information available at present does not allow for population estimation; but we believe that the ef- fective population size is clearly below 250 individuals. Urgent conservation action is re- quired, but is impeded by the fact that so little information on the Arabian le- opard is available. Indeed, the only po- pulations studied and monitored in the field are those in Oman (Spalton & Wil- Fig. 1. Arabian leopard in the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife, Sharjah. The lis 1999) and in the Negev (Ilani 1980; Arabian leopard is one of the smallest and most endangered leopard subspecies worldwide 1990; Perez et al. 2006). No systematic (Photo U. Breitenmoser). research has been done on threats, con- flicts and human attitudes, and yet, awa- reness building, education, and capacity nitored. The fate of all other nuclei is at 3. Strategic conservation planning building are imperative. To develop a stake. One small population is nowhere To secure the survival of the Arabian sensible conservation action plan and to near sufficient to secure the survival of leopard according to IUCN Red List set priorities in such a situation is not the Arabian leopard in the wild. Genetic criteria is one aspect of its conservati- easy; everything needs to be done at the impoverishment or catastrophic events on. Beyond this, the leopard is the top same time and with limited understan- could wipe it out. To down-list the Ara- predator of the regional eco-system, ding, awareness and funding. bian leopard from Critically Endange- and plays an important role as an um- Nevertheless, it is necessary to pro- red to Endangered according to IUCN brella and flagship species (see Simber- ceed in a careful and well-planned way Red List criteria, the effective popula- loff 1998). Such a view implies that the in an emergency situation. The Status tion size must be over 250 individuals, Arabian leopard should be conserved in Reports provide baseline information that is a total population of about 500 all suitable habitats of its historic ran- for the next steps in planning, which leopards. To regain the status of Vulne- ge as an integral part of the eco-system, will be (1) the development of a ran- rable, the population must increase to and that populations must be maintai- ge-wide conservation strategy for the an effective size of 2,500 individuals, ned or restored in all range countries. Arabian leopard, and, building on this which will only be possible through a For effective international co-operati- general strategy, (2) country-based ac- considerable expansion of the presently on, we need strong partnership and an tion plans. In this paper, we outline the occupied range. This is impossible for agreement on long-term goals, hence a requirements for and the steps towards any of the present nuclei. A more rea- conservation strategy endorsed by the a comprehensive conservation of this listic scenario is the recovery of seve- national authorities. charismatic top predator of the Arabian ral local populations, which then form The Partnership must include (1) Peninsula. a meta-population along the mountain national governmental organisations, chains of the Arabian Peninsula. First, providing political guidance and re- 2. Scenario for the recovery of the the further decline must be stopped and sponsible for legal aspects (laws on Arabian leopard the remaining nuclei stabilised. This re- nature conservation, protected areas, The first priority is to assure the conti- quires improvement of habitat and prey etc.) and implementation of conservati- nued existence of the Arabian leopard as populations and education of local peo- on actions agreed, (2) non-governmen- a distinct taxon. This is granted through ple. Still, the remnant populations will tal organisations and interest groups, the captive breeding programme (Ed- likely not be strong enough to regain which can support leopard conservation monds et al. 2006). Then, the survival lost areas in the near future. Specific in many ways, e.g. stakeholder involve- of the remaining wild populations must measures might be needed, including ment, education, raising awareness and be secured. The only one with a good reintroduction or restocking using the fundraising, and (3) scientific experts, prognosis is presently the population in captive population as a source.