The torrential downpours, dense thicket and impassable trees...the rainforest might seem like a mysterious world to most. But these highly biodiverse places are integral to all life on our planet — including those who reside far, far away from these lush forests. In this world of swarming insects, colorful snakes, scampering monkeys and prowling wild cats, there’s a snapshot into what makes our world’s ecosystems persist.
Although rainforests are necessary for the proper functioning of our planet’s climate systems, one-quarter of the world's population directly relies on these ecosystems for subsistence, employment and income (source: UN). About half of the Earth's land species reside in rainforests, and these picturesque environments store 25 percent of the planet's carbon, making tropical rainforests especially crucial to our survival (sources: Mongabay, Nature).
To protect rainforests, the first step is to learn why they are such incredible and important places. Panthera is offering you a Window to the Wild into five rainforests where Panthera works or supports partners to protect wild cats. You’ll find that the amazing creatures of these places are worth every ounce of our effort to protect them and the landscapes they call home.
In the Mesoamerican countries of Honduras, Belize and Costa Rica, Panthera works to monitor wild cat species, prevent human-wildlife conflict on farms, reduce poaching and ensure wildlife can safely cross bustling roads. Among the cat species we protect in these countries' rainforests are jaguars, pumas, ocelots, jaguarundis and oncillas. See if you can spot some other iconic Central American wildlife like tapirs in this video!
The ancient cloud forests of Malaysian Borneo are home to five elusive wild cats: the Sunda clouded leopard, flat-headed cat, bay cat, leopard cat and marbled cat. Due to risk from habitat degradation and human-cat conflict, Panthera, the Sabah Forestry Department and the Sabah Wildlife Department work with local communities to foster coexistence between these wild cats and people. Panthera also completed a ten-year camera study on these cats to inform our conservation work. Below are some of the exciting results!
Gabon’s rainforests are home to iconic Central African wildlife, including forest elephants, chimpanzees and gorillas. Also prowling these trees are leopards and African golden cats. Panthera, with support from Gabon’s National Park Agency ANPN, works to survey leopard and African golden cat populations and chart wildlife corridors for the country's many threatened large wildlife species. We have also collaborated to plan an exciting lion restoration project, creating ecotourism opportunities and restoring a lion population in Plateaux Batéké National Park (PBNP). In addition, our organizations support the traditional livelihoods of local Téké people by bolstering the area’s infrastructure and creating a community reserve that will be managed by six Téké communities. See below to learn about the incredible wildlife they live alongside.
While not a tropical rainforest, Washington State’s temperate rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula holds a dazzling array of incredible wildlife. It’s also home to two wild cat species: bobcats and pumas. But these pumas are threatened by the I-5 Highway, which separates them from populations elsewhere in the state. That’s why Panthera and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe with the Skokomish, Makah, Jamestown S'Klallam, the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribes, the Quinault Indian Nation and the Washington State Department of Transportation work together to study pumas to ensure their genetic connectivity. Along the way, they also see black bears, elk and more:
The tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia have some of the highest rates of deforestation on Earth. For the many wild cats living in these threatened forests, everyday life can be a fight for survival due to habitat fragmentation, loss of prey species and rampant poaching. Panthera works alongside Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and the Zoological Society of London to support patrols and study the lives of rare Indochinese tigers, Indochinese leopards, mainland clouded leopards and more. These cats coexist along wildlife like Asian elephants, wild boar and monkeys.
Want to learn more about the secrets of the rainforest? Check out this blog. For more on how you can save our planet’s precious forests, make sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.
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© Sebastian Kennerknecht
