IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Ropiquet, A.; Knight, A.T.; Born, C.; Martins, Q.; Balme, G.; Kirkendall, L.; Hunter, L.; Senekal, C.; Matthee, C.A. | |
| Implications of spatial genetic patterns for conserving African leopards | |
| 2015 Comptes rendus Biologies (338): 728-737 | |
The leopard (_Panthera pardus_) is heavily persecuted in areas where it predates livestock and threatens human well-being. Attempts to resolve human-leopard conflict typically involve translocating problem animals; however, these interventions are rarely informed by genetic studies and can unintentionally compromise the natural spatial genetic structure and diversity, and possibly the long-term persistence, of the species. No significant genetic discontinuities were definable within the southern African leopard population. Analysis of fine-scale genetic data derived from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA revealed that the primary natural process shaping the spatial genetic structure of the species is isolation-by-distance (IBD). The effective gene dispersal (s) index can inform leopard translocations and is estimated to be 82 km for some South African leopards. The importance of adopting an evidence-based strategy is discussed for supporting the integration of genetic data, spatial planning and social learning institutions so as to promote collaboration between land managers, government agency staff and researchers. |
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