Persian Leopard Conservation

Rehabilitating the Transboundary Habitat of the Persian Leopard through the Creation of a Peace Park

A Transnational, Multi-Stage Approach to Conservation
Stage 1: Habitat Mapping

This Project is partially funded by the Prince Bernhanrd Nature Fund (PBNF), General Consulate of Germany in Erbil & The Goldman Environmental Prize

This project represents the first of a multi-stage approach to conservation work. Through thorough habitat mapping, it will lay the groundwork for the conservation of the Persian Leopard, an endangered species, in the study area adjacent to Iran.

See Project Description

This project aims at mapping the extension range of the endangered Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) and its prey the Wild Goat (Capra aegagrus) and Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in QaraDagh and Darbandikhan of Kurdistan region.

See Objectives

The Persian Leopard Habitat is located within the Zagros Mountains Forrest Steppe Ecoregion (PA0446), a critical/endangered ecoregion. The proposed site is one of the areas identified by Nature Iraq Key Biodiversity Areas Program priority sites for conservation.

The State of the Persian Leopard

The Persian Leopard is listed as ''Endangered'' on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list of Threatened Species.
According to IUCN, Leopards (Panthera pardus) are considered vulnerable and their population is decreasing globally. Concerning Iraq, IUCN states that "A few recently confirmed records are restricted to the mountainous areas of Kurdistan where Leopard is known to be scarce''.