On International Clouded Leopard Day, India Strengthens Conservation Through Dedicated Conservation Action Plan For The Wild Cat
On the occasion of International Clouded Leopard Day, India has reaffirmed its commitment to the conservation of one of Asia’s most elusive wild cats through the newly launched Clouded Leopard Conservation Action Plan (CAP). The action plan provides a comprehensive framework for securing habitats, restoring forest connectivity, strengthening scientific monitoring and empowering local communities for conservation of the species. Ministry of Environment, Forest, Climate Change noted that the action plan focuses on Habitat Protection, Scientific Monitoring, Landscape Connectivity and Community Participation across Northeast India.
The Ministry further added that a key component of the Action Plan is the identification of fourteen priority conservation landscapes across Northeast India, along with landscape-scale habitat restoration and corridor conservation to strengthen connectivity between forest habitats. It said that CAP provides for standardised scientific monitoring and promotes community-based conservation and sustainable livelihood support. Further, the action plan integrates climate resilience and adaptive management into conservation planning, strengthening the long-term resilience of Clouded Leopard habitats and landscapes.
