The Status and Conservation of Leopards and Other Large Carnivores in the Congo Basin, and the Potential Role of Reintroduction

Abstract

Summary The Congo Basin contains the world’s second largest expanse of tropical rainforest, and yet also within the catchment lies an extensive, geographically isolated forest–savannah mosaic. While the forests in this region have long been considered an important stronghold for leopards, Panthera pardus, the apex predator in this habitat, the forest–savannah mosaic also once harboured important populations of lions, Panthera leo, African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus, and spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta. Uncontrolled hunting by man, however, has led to a dramatic decrease in ungulate populations, especially in the more accessible open habitats. Today, lions and African wild dogs are almost certainly regionally extinct, while spotted hyaenas have been reduced to one small and isolated population in the Republic of Congo. In remote forest regions, wildlife populations have remained less severely affected, but in densely populated areas where demand for wild game is high, intensive commercial hunting has led to a widespread disappearance of leopards, even from within protected areas. Conservation efforts directed towards leopards and