The Future4Leopards Foundation uses the most up to date research tools to determine where our efforts are most needed. The information we collect is used to improve the community-based conservation programs that protect Persian leopards living in several reserves where we work.
The elusive leopard is extremely difficult to find in the wild. We are using some of the world’s most advanced technology to enable us to find, track and follow them across various landscapes and through time. Satellite GPS collars and heat-in-motion sensing camera traps are our two main tools for doing this and are in widespread use by the Foundation crew.
Our field researchers conduct studies year round to gain insight into the Persian leopard’s habitat, its wild prey species, and the cats themselves. The cameras photograph wild leopards as they move through their home ranges, while the GPS collars allow us to track an individual leopard’s movements for an entire year. Equally important, in the Foundation we apply advanced genetic analysis to investigate the leopards’ diversity and health at multiple scales, from local through regional to national. Ecological surveys are used to better understand the landscape and the role of humans and wildlife alike.
