Leopards for the Caucasus - Editorial

Cat News 56: 03. IUCN Cast Specialist Group. ISSN 1027-2992.

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In May 2012, IUCN/SSC and EAZA, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation to cooperate in a project to reintroduce the leopard into the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve. The reserve is an UNESCO World Heritage Site (IUCN Ia) and one of Russia’s oldest protected areas. It was declared a Zapovednik (strictly protected area) in 1924 and was already a hunting preserve under the tsar.  The Biosphere Reserve, neighbouring Sochi National Park (IUCN II) and adjacent refuges stretch over about 6000 km². It is the most natural and most beautiful mountainous landscape of temperate forest in Europe I have ever seen.

The leopard reintroduction project has become known as part of the environmental programme of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games – and has been criticised as such. As a matter of fact, the idea is much older, but materialised only with the financial support from the 2014 Games. The Sochi leopard breeding centre was built, and now hosts two male leopards from Turkmenistan and two female leopards from Iran. Indeed, the transfer of the Iranian leopards bases on a high-level agreement between Russia and Iran to exchange tigers against leopards for reintroduction projects. A tiger breeding centre is presently constructed in northern Iran to host the Siberian tigers received from Russia. IUCN/SSC and its Cat Specialist Group were asked from the environmental agencies of both countries to advice on these projects – and we are committed to do so.

The leopard is the number one flagship species for conservation in the Caucasus, a region listed among the biodiversity hot spots of the world. In 2007, the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group was invited by WWF to facilitate the development of the “Strategy for the Conservation of the Leopard in the Caucasus Ecoregion”. Three of the six countries sharing the Caucasus have since implemented the Strategy by means of National Action Plans: Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. Turkey has endorsed the Strategy, but not taken further action so far; there is no proof that the leopard still exists in the Turkish part of the Caucasus. Actually, the situation of the leopard in the Caucasus seems to be more critical than assumed five years ago when the Strategy was developed. There are infrequent leopard observations in southern Armenia and southern Azerbaijan, but these might be animals dispersing from northern Iran, the only area with confirmed leopard presence and reproduction in the past years. However, the status of the population in the Caucasian provinces of Iran is not well known either, and there is no evidence that the north-western nuclei are still connected to the populations further south (Zagros Mountains) or further east (Alborz Mountains).

Considering the dire situation of the Caucasian leopard, the Sochi reintroduction project could be an important part of a long-term recovery plan. The first priority must be the strict protection of the source population in the south (Iranian part of the Caucasus). The creation a new population in the north-west could facilitate the recolonisation of the entire ecoregion. The Caucasian Biosphere Reserve is clearly the best-suited area in the ecoregion. But in the long term, an isolated population there will remain vulnerable, considering the fact that the north-western Caucasus was always the edge of the distribution area of the species. Hence preparing the central areas in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey for the return of the leopard either from the south or the north is another important step.

The EAZA Felid TAG and the IUCN Cat Specialist Group have suggested using Persian leopards from the EAZA EEP for the breeding programme in Sochi. First, breeding wild-caught leopards might be difficult, and second, we recommend first assessing the status of the leopard in Iran and developing a National Action Plan before removing leopards for a conservation breeding programme. In the long term, the integration of north-west Iranian leopards into the breeding pool is surely welcome.

The project and the cooperation will now go ahead. It is without any doubt a most challenging project. The 2014 Games will be a first checkpoint, with a wold-wide and high-level attentiveness. This is both a burden and an opportunity.  

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