Habitat Landscape Requirements for Critically Endangered Leopard Population Persistences

Habitat fragmentation is a major factor driving the decline and even extinction of large mammals. Although it is widely recognized that large habitat patches are crucial for species survival, the minimum habitat patch area requirements of a particular species for its presence, breeding, and dispersal have never been systematically quantified. In this study, based on 831 969 camera days of sampling in Shanxi Province, China, we assessed the current population status and effects of suitable habitat patch areas on the presence and breeding of the North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis). First, we found that there are at least five sustainable local populations (i.e., each patch with at least seven adult females), and suggested the stable persistence of leopards in this area. Second, male leopards were found in habitat patches with an area of at least 20.41 km², female leopards were typically found in patches larger than 157.08 km², while only patches larger than 434.96 km² supported breeding females. Our study also uncovered that smaller habitat patches likely serve as stepping stones to promote leopard dispersal, and road tunnels or bridges could function as wildlife crossing structures that increase potential dispersal areas. Consequently, this study highlights the crucial role of landscape structure and pattern in supporting the sustainable survival of big cat populations, providing important evidence on how habitat patches and wildlife road crossings should be managed for large carnivores in human-dominated landscapes.