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Asiatic cheetah - BBC Wildlife Magazine - May 2019 - Conservation Report

Technical Report · May 2019

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.17342.33607

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Jamshid Parchizadeh
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CONSERVATION REPORT
Asiatic cheetah
Jamshid Parchizadeh shines a spotlight on a rare
cheetah, which today only survives in Iran.
Why is it so special?
Along with its African cousins, the
Asiatic cheetah is the fastest land animal
on Earth, using its speed to bring down
prey. In fact, there is actually very little
to separate the Asiatic cheetah from
other subspecies. Key differences are
that the Asiatic cheetah is paler in
colour, with a smaller head and
shorter legs. It also has a thicker coat.
How many are left?
According to estimates, fewer than 50
survive in the wild. They can be found
in central Iran, roaming the provinces
of Isfahan, Kerman, Semnan, South
Khorasan, North Khorasan and Yazd.
What main threats does it face?
Along with drought, livestock herders
and their dogs have limited the Asiatic
cheetah’s access to prey. Vehicle
collisions also pose a serious problem.
Between 2001 and 2018, 28 Asiatic
cheetahs were killed in road accidents.
Why are numbers dwindling?
In 2001, the Iranian Department of
Environment launched the Conservation
of the Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP).
Partners included the United Nations
Development Programme, which
supplied funding until 2017. The
Beaver: Arndt Sven-Erik/Arterra Picture Library/Alamy; cheetah: Frans Lanting
May 2019
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RED LIST
STATUS:
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
Department’s Aquatic Wildlife and
Biodiversity Office is normally in charge
of protecting flora and fauna across
Iran. But in this case, responsibility was
given to the CACP, which unfortunately
didn’t have very experienced people.
They spent a lot on public awareness
campaigns but not so much on
advanced biological studies that would
have provided the information necessary
to conserving the subspecies.
Is there any hope for the future?
It was recently announced that another
phase of the CACP will begin when
enough financial support is supplied. As
long as the Department of Environment
concentrates on improving Iran’s
protected area system and wildlife
corridors, then yes – we may be able to
save it from extinction. Jon Bauckham
JAMSHID PARCHIZADEH is a wildlife
conservationist working on Iranian fauna.
FIND OUT MORE Current Biology
Asiatic cheetah article: bit.ly/2HLzeZM
NEWS UPDATE Eight Asiatic cheetah
researchers have been detained since
January 2018 in Iran, accused of using
camera-traps for espionage. As BBC
Wildlife went to print, they were on trial.
Asiatic cheetahs
are slightly paler in
colour than their
African cousins.
WILD NEWS
Reintroduced in
2009, Scotland’s
beavers are now
protected by law.
CONSERVATION
Beavers backed by
new Scottish law
A milestone decision means that
Scotland’s newly re-established
beavers have been protected by law
since 1 May this year. Announcing the
move, Scottish environment secretary,
Roseanna Cunningham, said that the
importance of beavers to Scotland’s
biodiversity is huge.
“However, we recognise that beavers
can have a significant impact on
farming...which is why we have been
working closely with farmers and partner
agencies to establish management plans,
as well as a licensing system for culling
when there is no other alternative.”
This protection comes after a decade
of beaver reintroduction work in
Argyll by partners the Scottish Wildlife
Trust (SWT), Royal Zoological Society
of Scotland (RZSS) and Forestry
Commission Scotland. At the same
time, beavers released in Tayside without
official backing have also thrived, with
a population of at least 430 animals
in more than 100 active territories.
This has led to killing of beavers by
some landowners.
Welcoming the move, which was
celebrated at a special event organised by
the SWT beside the Scottish Parliament
on the day protection came into force,
RZSS chief executive, Barbara Smith,
said that granting European Protected
Status to beavers in Scotland is a vital
step to welcoming them back.
Kenny Taylor
FIND OUT MORE Scottish
Government bit.ly/2KlQrfo
BBC Wildlife 51