Tracking the Javan Leopard, an Indicator of Wildlife Diversity

JAKARTA – A new study finds Leopard Java as an indicator of wildlife diversity. The presence of the Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) in a habitat is related to the richness and abundance of other animals that live together in the same location.

The study is the first extensive review of what animals these leopards might hunt using hidden cameras in four different types of land areas in Java Island Indonesia.

The research team led by Andhika C. Ariyanto from the University of Twente, the Netherlands and a team from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry studied 7,461 individual photographs taken over nearly 13,000 days in mid-2020 and 2022. The research locations were in four national parks.

They found that Meru Betiri National Park, representing the East Java-Bali montane rainforest habitat, has the highest species richness in the area where the Javan leopard is found, followed by Ujung Kulon National Park and Alas Purwo National Park — the rainforest habitats of West Java and East Java-Bali, respectively.

Meanwhile, Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, which represents the West Java-Bali rainforest habitat, has relatively lower species diversity in areas inhabited by leopards.

“This shows the interaction between Javan leopards and their prey, revealing how prey abundance plays a role in shaping the distribution and behavior of predators in their natural environment,” the study wrote as reported by Mongabay, Friday (26/7/2024).

The researchers identified 10 species that overlap significantly with leopards in both space and time. Some of these are considered potential prey for the big cats, including the muntjac barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), wild boar (Sus scrofa), jungle fowl (Gallus spp.), Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus) and Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus).

By identifying the animals that Javan leopards prey on and their populations, the study said, conservation managers can create specific plans to protect and increase the populations of these animals, including leopards. Because when there is not enough prey, large carnivores like Javan leopards can decline in numbers and even disappear from certain areas.

The Javan leopard is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, which estimates its population at around 350. The leopard is identified as the last apex predator on Java, following the extinction of the Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) in the last century, and is threatened by human activities, including hunting, habitat loss, and decline in prey.