Opportunities Exist To Revolutionize Management Strategies For A Globally Iconic Species
Leopard hunts are one of the most valuable expeditions on the international market and the financial foundation of Africa's largest safari areas. Revenue generated from leopard hunting supports the conservation of other species, anti-poaching that protects all species, and community livelihoods.
Unlike lions & elephants, the importation of leopard trophies is not currently restricted in the United States.
SCI Foundation's Leopard Project will modernize scientific methods for determining leopard populations & create more concrete datasets on the impact of leopard hunting.
FACT:
Increased pressure to ban leopard imports means management must be redefined. By eliminating interest in leopard hunting opportunities with an import ban, the related benefits are similarly reduced.
FACT:
"Big Cat" conservation groups who have recognized the value of hunting in the past are now backing off this stance, compounding the importance of SCI's leadership.
FACT:
SCI's legal team Is increasingly embroiled in lawsuits central to leopards, but data supporting their cases is lacking.
Project Prospectus
- A world-class research team will use remote field cameras to conduct a 5-year study across Botswana.
- Accurately assess leopard populations and year-to-year growth.
- Determine leopard harvest quotas that preserve a healthy, sustainable population.
- Ensure the importation of leopard trophies and the future of leopard hunting remain unimpeded by well funded & emotionally radical anti-hunting efforts.
An initiative so ambitious requires equally ambitious funding. No price tag is too great for transforming the management of such a legendary species and protecting the far-reaching positive impacts of hunting for the benefit of conservation and rural communities.
