Source: News on Air
Context: On International Clouded Leopard Day (observed 4 August), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the Clouded Leopard Conservation Action Plan (CAP).
About the Conservation Action Plan
- A comprehensive, multi-state strategic framework to secure habitats, restore ecological corridors, standardise population assessments, and empower local communities for the species’ long-term survival in India.
- Aim: to halt population decline, protect critical forest landscapes across Northeast India, establish reliable population baselines through advanced science, and mitigate human-wildlife conflict outside formal protected areas.
About the Species
The Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is an evolutionarily ancient, medium-sized wild cat bridging the gap between big cats (Panthera) and small cats (Felinae). Molecular research suggests it branched from the Pantherinae lineage over 6 million years ago, making it one of the most ancient living feline species.
Distribution and habitat
- Found from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Northeast India through Southeast Asia (Indochina, Sumatra, Borneo) to southern China.
- Prefers lowland dense tropical rainforest, but adapts to dry woodlands, mangrove swamps (in Borneo), and Himalayan foothill forests up to 2,743 metres.
Conservation and legal status
| Framework | Status |
|---|---|
| IUCN Red List | Vulnerable |
| Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 | Schedule I |
| CITES | Appendix I |
