IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Henschel, P. | |
| The status and conservation of leopards and other large carnivores in the Congo Basin, and the potential role of reintroduction | |
| 2009 Book Chapter | |
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 spotted hyaenas should promote rigorous protection of remaining populations and their prey to prevent any further range loss. Owing to the present geographical isolation of their former range within this region, however, any effort to re-establish lions or African wild dogs would inevitably need to involve reintroduction. Most suitable habitat is currently without protection and wild prey is scarce, so potential reintroductions would need to be preceded by the creation of sufficiently large protected areas and their restocking with prey, provided that government and local support for such a proposal could be acquired and guaranteed for the long term. |
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