{"id":140303,"date":"2024-08-12T18:40:54","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T18:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=140303"},"modified":"2024-08-12T18:44:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T18:44:33","slug":"an-island-leopard-keeping-our-natural-landscapes-intact-by-n-meegama-mcdonald-a-watson-a-kittle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/an-island-leopard-keeping-our-natural-landscapes-intact-by-n-meegama-mcdonald-a-watson-a-kittle\/","title":{"rendered":"An Island leopard keeping our natural landscapes intact-by N.Meegama-mcDonald.A.watson & A.Kittle"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Island leopard keeping our natural landscapes intact-by N.Meegama-mcDonald.A.watson & A.Kittle<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"elanka\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A leopard on ERC<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source:<\/span><\/strong>Dailymirror<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"elanka\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A leopard on ERC<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"elanka\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The leopard is a charismatic, wide-ranging and adaptable carnivore, and in Sri Lanka, the endemic sub-species Panthera pardus kotiya, plays the role of apex predator which increases its ecological importance.<\/span><\/p>\n

For these reasons the leopard can play a vital role as an \u201cumbrella\u201d species, which means that by protecting the habitat needed for a long-term, viable leopard population, we can also conserve the wider biodiversity that utilises that same habitat and therefore falls under its ecological \u201cumbrella\u201d. As a result, this island leopard can hold an extremely important position in influencing landscape-level conservation and how we are to use our limited landmass.<\/span><\/p>\n

This series of articles looks at how this position could be used practically, on the ground for conservation planning. Examples from ongoing research from various locations across the country will highlight this.<\/span><\/p>\n

Article 1: Corridors for Conservation – Central Highlands<\/span><\/p>\n

Connecting larger forests while providing additional refuge<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In response to the human-caused deaths of nine Central Highland leopards in six months in 2016, the\u00a0Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT)<\/strong>\u00a0initiated monitoring leopard activity in the unprotected, tea plantation region immediately north of the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary. Enabled by the provision of a small research station by\u00a0Resplendent Ceylon and Dilmah Tea,<\/strong>\u00a0in one year, WWCT set up 75 remote camera stations across 30 tea estates, stretching across a 300 km2 area in and around the\u00a0Maskeliya-Norwood-Bogawanthalawa<\/strong>\u00a0valley. As photo captures of leopards at different stations accumulated, one ridgeline in particular emerged as being vital to leopard survival in this region. A ride that was also part of the watershed for the two hydroelectric reservoirs it sat between.<\/span><\/p>\n

Running on a Sout East-North West<\/strong>\u00a0axis between the Maskeliya and Castlereagh reservoirs and linking two distant parts of the Peak Wilderness complex via the Balapennegala Forest Reserve, this 18-km long upland area was revealed to be of key importance as a refuge for leopards and general wildlife, and specifically for female leopards and their cubs. Leopards utilise vast areas, especially where prey resources are less dense, so they move throughout this tea-dominated landscape, including the lower valleys, but it is the higher elevation ridges that act as important refuges, as well as corridors and connections for leopards in this landscape. Other wildlife, including the endangered purple-faced langur, the diminutive rusty-spotted cat and the pangolin \u2013 the most trafficked wildlife species in the world –\u00a0 are also found along these ridgelines. This land use is perhaps a behavioral adaptation to reduce potential interactions with humans in this heavily human utilised plantation landscape. Another key adaptation that we\u2019ve document is the reduced daytime activity of leopards here compared to populations in protected areas in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"elanka\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

After more than four years of monitoring and delays due to COVID-19, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in 2021 by WWCT and the current primary land-holders along this ridge: Four partner\u00a0Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs – Horana Plantations Plc, Madulsima Plantations Plc, Bogawanthalawa Plantations Plc, MJF Tea Gardens),<\/strong>\u00a0the privately owned Kelani-Braema estate and three individual estates of Maskeliya Plantations Plc and Resplendent Ceylon, to conserve this ridgeline, now declared as the Peak Ridge Forest Corridor (PRFC). The broad-scale, multi-partner collaboration represents a novel approach to landscape-level conservation in Sri Lanka.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the ongoing support and encouragement from the estate companies in the region, and while continuing to monitor and secure the PRFC, WWCT initiated similar research along parallel and adjacent ridgelines to identify leopard land use areas, launching the \u201cCorridors for Conservation\u201d Initiative in 2021. Under this initiative another upland area was rapidly identified across the Castlereagh reservoir to the North-East, with a similarly robust and active leopard population and a similar suite of biodiversity to PRFC. This 9.5-km long upland area was declared as the Elbedda Ridge Corridor (ERC) and a MoU signed in 2023 between WWCT and Kelani Valley Plantations Ltd (KVPL) \u2013 the current land-holder of all 7 estates that line this ridge to the south – to ensure its continued protection.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leopard land-use and corridor selection<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Long-term monitoring of PRFC and ERC is continuing.\u00a0 Leopard populations are typically dynamic, with cubs being born and then emigrating to new areas, young adults and sometimes older individuals ousted, and resident animals dying and creating short-lived vacuums for others to fill. Upon initiating this work, we feared that this region would be a population sink where animals from \u201cbetter\u201d, more intact habitat would be forced to come and residency times would be short with a turnover of individuals high. We have been excited to learn, that while the inherent risks of living in such a fragmented and human-dominated landscape can take their toll \u2013 most obviously in the form of wire snares set for wild boar and barking deer but indiscriminate in their killing \u2013 this is a landscape with long-term resident animals that are reproducing regularly. Although it is difficult to effectively monitor all the cubs detected, it is clear that cub recruitment into the wider population is ongoing with regularity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the inception of our research here in 2016 we have documented 50+ individual leopards using the PRFC, inclusive of cubs and transients. At any one time it is home to 10 \u2013 12 resident leopards, some of whom live exclusively here (most of the females) while others include PRFC as part of a larger range (typically males whose ranges are considerably larger than females). One resident female \u2018OC\u2019 has been living in the same area on PRFC for almost 8 years, during which time she has littered 5 sets of cubs! Another resident female \u2018Ola\u2019 been monitored for over 5 years. Infamous resident male \u2018Arnold\u2019 that we monitored for over 5 years on PRFC before he suddenly disappeared, was recently re photo-captured by a colleague on the far side across the PRFC. Of the 14 litters that we have tracked so far, at least seven cubs have survived to adulthood, with the number probably higher as we are limited to remote camera monitoring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although monitored for a shorter duration \u2013 since 2021 \u2013 the ERC has shown similar patterns with 20 individual leopards documented. Of these, 8 \u2013 10 resident adults occupy ERC at a particular time, with land tenure similar to that of PRFC. So far, we have documented 5 sets of cubs with at least one known to reach adulthood. Again, it is highly likely more do so. One of the key resident males \u2018OZZY\u2019 on ERC we first documented on PRFC over 7 \u00bd years ago, and was found on both until 2023 when he seemed to curtail his use of PRFC. He also uses another estate landscape area to the west. Another of the resident males of ERC, \u2018Nino\u2019 was born on PRFC in 2019 and established himself in this new landscape 9 kms to the north. This vital leopard land use information underscores the importance of identifying such connections and establishing such corridors in this highly fragmented landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n

Combatting threats across the landscape<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The news is not all good. We have been brought low on more than one occasion by the death of one of the monitored leopards been killed in a snare. First it was resident female \u2018Norma\u2019, followed by \u2018Nina\u2019 on PRFC who had birthed three cubs the year before. One of her maturing female cubs took over her range after her death. The most recent was one of the adult daughters of our longest monitored female \u2018OC\u2019, who had a cub of her own at the time of her death. This cub is now over a year and managing to survive. One of the agreements of PRFC and ERC is the conducting anti-snaring campaigns, and resource material has been widely distributed with snare removal patrols being actively undertaken with DWC and a number of estates. This is bringing events to full circle as it was widespread snaring that was the purpose of initial research here back in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another key pillar of the \u201cCorridors for Conservation\u201d initiative is education and awareness aimed mostly at estate schoolchildren. In keeping with this our Forest Guardians programme aims to foster in school kids and communities, an understanding about the vital role of leopards, wildlife and intact forests for a healthy future.\u00a0 Establishing 15 dedicated Resource Rooms within the PRFC and ERC are part of this programme.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As these ridgelines are important components of the vital watersheds which provide for the Maskeliya and Castlereagh reservoirs and their attendant hydro-electric power facilities, restoration of degraded habitat on these slopes is also important. As such, select degraded areas of these ridges have been – and are being identified – for restoration with native forest plant species. This restoration has the potential to improve the catchment area, decrease erosion, eliminate seasonal water shortages and provide additional wildlife habitat for leopards and other biodiversity. To implement this, we are establishing five dedicated forest plant nurseries in partnership with estate companies and private individuals, and have begun reforestation of initial plots.<\/span><\/p>\n

Partnerships<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Joining us in the Corridors for Conservation journey are many additional partners without whose support this work would not be possible. And so in addition to the RPC\u2019s and Resplendent Ceylon, we thank the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), Alliance Finance plc, Lanka Environment Fund (LEF) and the Oak Foundation, Vogue Jewellers, Olu Water, CERZA Conservation and Seacology for enabling this ambitious conservation programme in Sri Lanka\u2019s Central Highlands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Organisations, such as the Wildlife & Nature Protection Society (WNPS), the Hill Country Leopard Group, and the UN\/Ministry of Environment Global Environment Facility (UN-GEF) Round VII project, have begun\/are starting similar component initiatives in this plantation landscape.\u00a0 We hope that together these initiatives will help conserve and improve Sri Lanka\u2019s under-protected, highly biodiverse, vital Central Highlands.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>
\n(Authors of this article are members of the Wilderness & Wildlife Conservation Trust team)<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n


\nClick here to receive your free copy of the eLanka Newsletter twice a week delivered directly to your inbox!<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Island leopard keeping our natural landscapes intact-by N.Meegama-mcDonald.A.watson & A.Kittle A leopard on ERC   Source:Dailymirror A leopard on ERC The leopard is a charismatic, wide-ranging and adaptable carnivore, and in Sri Lanka, the endemic sub-species Panthera pardus kotiya, plays the role of apex predator which increases its ecological importance. For these reasons the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":120393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[68363,68365,68362,68366,68364,68361,61716],"class_list":{"0":"post-140303","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-bogawanthalawa-plantations-plc","9":"tag-kelani-valley-plantations","10":"tag-madulsima-plantations-plc","11":"tag-maskeliya-plantations-plc","12":"tag-mjf-tea-gardens","13":"tag-regional-plantation-companies-rpcs-horana-plantations-plc","14":"tag-wildlife-nature-protection-society","15":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\nAn Island leopard keeping our natural landscapes intact-by N.Meegama-mcDonald.A.watson & A.Kittle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The leopard is a charismatic, wide-ranging and adaptable carnivore, and in Sri Lanka, the endemic sub-species Panthera pardus kotiya\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An Island leopard keeping our natural landscapes intact-by N.Meegama-mcDonald.A.watson & A.Kittle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The leopard is a charismatic, wide-ranging and adaptable carnivore, and in Sri Lanka, the endemic sub-species Panthera pardus kotiya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/an-island-leopard-keeping-our-natural-landscapes-intact-by-n-meegama-mcdonald-a-watson-a-kittle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-12T18:40:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-12T18:44:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Leopards-e1693401882622.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"481\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/an-island-leopard-keeping-our-natural-landscapes-intact-by-n-meegama-mcdonald-a-watson-a-kittle\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/an-island-leopard-keeping-our-natural-landscapes-intact-by-n-meegama-mcdonald-a-watson-a-kittle\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"An Island leopard keeping our natural landscapes intact-by N.Meegama-mcDonald.A.watson & A.Kittle\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-12T18:40:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-12T18:44:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/an-island-leopard-keeping-our-natural-landscapes-intact-by-n-meegama-mcdonald-a-watson-a-kittle\/\"},\"wordCount\":1659,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/an-island-leopard-keeping-our-natural-landscapes-intact-by-n-meegama-mcdonald-a-watson-a-kittle\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Leopards-e1693401882622.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Bogawanthalawa Plantations Plc\",\"Kelani Valley Plantations\",\"Madulsima Plantations Plc\",\"Maskeliya Plantations Plc\",\"MJF Tea Gardens\",\"Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs - 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