Conservation news 813


STEPHANE BATISTA ( orcid.org/0000-0002-8245-9186) Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia


MELINDA J. LAIDLAW ( orcid.org/0000-0001-5686-0753) Department of Environment and Science, Brisbane, Australia


LYNN M. BAKER ( orcid.org/0000-0002-2803-761X) Canines for Wildlife, Bellingen, Australia


IAN C. GYNTHER ( orcid.org/0000-0002-0645-4746) and HARRY B. HINES ( orcid.org/0000-0001-5547-5693) Department of Environment and Science, Brisbane, Australia, and Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Australia


DIANA O. FISHER ( orcid.org/0000-0002-4017-3710) University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia


This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY NC ND 4.0.


Integrating Javan leopard conservation into a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in East Java, Indonesia


The Endangered Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas is endemic to Java, one of the most populated islands, where it occurs in 22 isolated forest patches that comprise ,9% (c. 1.2 million ha) of the island’s total land area. Fewer than 400 adults remain in the wild; most of the extant sub- populations will not survive unless conservation actions for this subspecies are improved. One of the best opportunities to connect Javan leopard subpopulations are the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, including the Belambangan Biosphere Reserve in East Java. The Reserve incorporates three National Parks and one Nature Reserve (Meru Betiri, Alas Purwo, Baluran and Kawah Ijen) as core areas that together secure c. 78,000 ha of forest. The adjacent buffer zones provide an additional 100,000 ha of terrestrial habitat suitable for the Javan leopard. In July 2021, Sintas Indonesia Foundation facilitated a


webinar for the Belambangan Biosphere Reserve’s Forum to discuss the integration of Javan leopard conservation into the Belambangan Biosphere Reserve management plan. The webinar became the largest event ever held to pro- mote Javan leopard conservation, with nearly 700 participants from various stakeholder groups, including provincial govern- ment officials, park managers, local NGOs, university schol- ars, the private sector and the public. The main outcomes of the webinar were the adoption of the Javan leopard as the Belambangan Biosphere Reserve’s flagship species— now appearing in its logo—increased public recognition of and support for the Javan leopard and for biodiversity conservation in the Reserve, and a call for investment from


interested parties to support the implementation of the Reserve’smanagement plan. This initiative could potentially be replicated in the other


UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Java (Cibodas, Bromo– Tengger–Semeru–Arjuno, Merapi–Merbabu–Menoreh, and Karimun Jawa–Jepara–Muria). Together, these reserves secure more than 240,000 ha of core areas and provide.300,000 ha of terrestrial buffer zone, and could greatly increase the chances for long-term survival of the Javan leopard.


We thank the Belambangan Biosphere Reserve’s Forum, Meru Betiri National Park, Alas Purwo National Park, Baluran National Park, East Java Natural Resources Conser- vation Agencies, East Java Forestry Agency,Yayasan Konser- vasi Elang Indonesia, and the National Geographic Society.


HARIYO TABAHWIBISONO ( orcid.org/0000-0002-0311-3700) San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, USA E-mail h.wibisono@sintas.or.id


ERWINWILIANTO ( orcid.org/0000-0003-1217-3614) and RIZKI AMALIA ADINDA PUTRI ( orcid.org/0000-0001-9728- 9725) Sintas Indonesia Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia


This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY 4.0.


Dihing-Patkai and Raimona, Assam’s new National Parks


Two new National Parks have been declared by the govern- ment of Assam, India, one through the upgrading of an existing protected area. The 111 km2 Dihing-Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Assam, established in 2004,was upgraded to a National Park on 15 June 2021, with a new total area of 234 km2. In western Assam, a part of Ripu Reserved Forest was declared as Raimona National Park on 8 June 2021, covering a total of 422 km2. Raimona is con- tiguous with Bhutan’s Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve, thus forming a large trans- boundary protected wilderness of 1,459 km2. Raimona is also part of the buffer zone of Manas Tiger Reserve. Dihing-Patkai is dominated by lofty hollong Dipterocar-


pus macrocarpus trees, and Raimona by tall sal Shorea ro- busta trees. Primates common to both new National Parks include the slow loris Nycticebus bengalensis and Assamese macaque Macaca assamensis. Raimona is home to the gold- en langur Trachypithecus geei, and Dihing-Patkai to the stump-tailed Macaca arctoides and pig-tailed Macaca leoni- na macaques, capped langur Trachypithecus pileatus and hoolock gibbon Hoolock hoolock. Other notable mammals occurring in both areas are the elephant Elephas maximus, black bear Ursus thibetanus, tiger Panthera tigris, clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa,marbled cat Pardofelis marmora- ta, dhole Cuon alpinus and gaur Bos gaurus.


Oryx, 2021, 55(6), 809–817 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605321001137


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