Asiatic Golden Cat in Thailand Population & Habitat Viability Assessment Chonburi, Thailand 5 - 7 September 2005 FINAL REPORT Photos courtesy of Ron Tilson, Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program (golden cat) and Kathy Traylor-Holzer, CBSG (habitat). A contribution of the IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group. Traylor-Holzer, K., D. Reed, L. Tumbelaka, N. Andayani, C. Yeong, D. Ngoprasert, and P. Duengkae (eds.). 2005. Asiatic Golden Cat in Thailand Population and Habitat Viability Assessment: Final Report. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley, MN. IUCN encourages meetings, workshops and other fora for the consideration and analysis of issues related to conservation, and believes that reports of these meetings are most useful when broadly disseminated. The opinions and views expressed by the authors may not necessarily reflect the formal policies of IUCN, its Commissions, its Secretariat or its members. The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. © Copyright CBSG 2005 Additional copies of Asiatic Golden Cat of Thailand Population and Habitat Viability Assessment can be ordered through the IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, 12101 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, MN 55124, USA (www.cbsg.org). The CBSG Conservation Council These generous contributors make the work of CBSG possible Providers $50,000 and above Paignton Zoo Emporia Zoo Parco Natura Viva - Italy Laurie Bingaman Lackey Chicago Zoological Society Perth Zoo Lee Richardson Zoo -Chairman Sponsor Philadelphia Zoo Montgomery Zoo SeaWorld, Inc. 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Everland Zoo Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park Fort Wayne Zoological Society Potter Park Zoo December 2005 Fossil Rim Wildlife Center Riverbanks Zoological Park Gladys Porter Zoo Rosamond Gifford Zoo Great Plains Zoo Staten Island Zoo Japanese Association of Zoological Swedish Association of Zoos Gardens and Aquariums (JAZA) Wellington Zoo Leisure and Cultural Services Welsh Mountain Zoo Department of Hong Kong Wildlife World Zoo, Inc. Lincoln Park Zoo Zoo Madrid Loro Parque Zoologischer Garten Rostock Los Angeles Zoo Marwell Zoological Park Curators $250 and above Memphis Zoo Alice Springs Desert Park Milwaukee County Zoo Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum North Carolina Zoological Park Bramble Park Zoo Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Dr. Edward and Marie Plotka Oklahoma City Zoo Asiatic Golden Cat in Thailand Population and Habitat Viability Assessment Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chonburi, Thailand 5 - 7 September 2005 CONTENTS SECTION 1. Executive Summary ................................................. 1 SECTION 2. Distribution and Habitat Working Group Report ....... 5 SECTION 3. Modeling Working Group Report............................ 13 SECTION 4. Human Impacts Working Group Report .................. 23 APPENDIX I. Workshop Participant Information ......................... 31 APPENDIX II. Introduction to CBSG Processes............................ 35 APPENDIX III. Simulation Modeling and PVA ............................. 41 APPENDIX IV. IUCN Guidelines ................................................. 47 Asiatic Golden Cat in Thailand Population & Habitat Viability Assessment Chonburi, Thailand 5 - 7 September 2005 FINAL REPORT SECTION 1 Executive Summary Executive Summary Introduction The Asiatic golden cat, also known as Temminck’s cat (Catopuma temminckii), ranges throughout Southeast Asia, from Nepal and parts of China to peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. Its close relative, the African golden cat (Profelis aurata) is a separate species found in East and Central Africa. Once common, golden cat populations are now believed to be declining due to habitat loss and other factors. Asiatic golden cats are listed as a CITES Appendix I species, and their status in 2002 was classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Little else is known regarding Asiatic golden cat biology or the status of wild golden cat populations in Thailand. Current research and conservation efforts focus on other felid species, such as the tiger, clouded leopard or marbled cat. Such projects sometimes produce incidental information on golden cats, but there are no systematic or concentrated efforts on this species. Golden cats can be found in zoos throughout several Southeast Asian countries, but to date there has not been a coordinated ex situ management program. The South East Asian Zoo Association (SEAZA) has targeted the Asiatic golden cat as one of its high priority species for management and conservation. To assess the conservation needs of this species, SEAZA collaborated with the Royal Forestry Department (RFD) of Thailand and the Zoological Parks Organization of Thailand (ZPO) to conduct two concurrent workshops focusing on the Asiatic golden cat: an Ex Situ Management Workshop to address captive population management, and a Population and Habitat Assessment Workshop to assess the wild golden cat population in Thailand. The PHVA Process The Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) was invited to conduct a Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) workshop for the Asiatic golden cat in Thailand as part of an integrated in situ – ex situ conservation assessment for this species. The PHVA workshop was held 5 – 7 September 2005 at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand and was sponsored by the Zoological Parks Organization of Thailand and the South East Asian Zoo Association. Participants included field researchers, university faculty and graduate students, zoo staff and non-governmental organization (NGO) staff (see Appendix I of this report for a complete list of workshop participants). CBSG was invited to serve as a neutral workshop facilitator and organizer. CBSG is a part of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the IUCN - World Conservation Union, and for more than 15 years has been developing and applying a series of science-based tools and processes to assist species management decision-making. One tool CBSG employs is use of neutral facilitators to moderate small working groups, as the success of the workshop is based on the cooperative process of dialogue, group meetings, and detailed modeling of alternative management scenarios. Information sharing is at the heart of the PHVA workshop process, which takes an in-depth look at the species' life history, history, status, and dynamics, and assesses the threats that may put the species at risk. One crucial