The Project Objectives

​The overarching goal of the first stage of this multi-stage approach project is to compile and analyse actual information on the status of the Persian Leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor and its prey in the target area, determine their range and habitat within the study area where anecdotal information have been gathered through local reports and directly through camera trap photos and videos of the leopard and its preys, and set the basis for further conservation efforts (next stages).
 
The objectives of this project’s first stage thus are:
  • Map and identify the range and status of the Persian Leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor and its prey (Wild Goat Capra aegagrus and Wild Boar Sus scrofa) in the KRI through:
    1. Desktop study of the data collected,
    2. Satellite image analysis,
    3. Focused fieldwork through camera traps, tracks and interview survey;
  • Identify which parts of this range can be protected/are in need of protection;
  • Raise public awareness of the leopard and the project through media interventions and participation in PAC meetings;
  • Initiate advocacy work through PAC meetings;
  • Increase our understanding of the conservation status of the Persian Leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor in Iraq.