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Using spatially explicit individual-based modelling to evaluate the ecological feasibility of big cat reintroduction: the example of the Arabian leopard

Author

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  • Atzeni, Luciano
  • Cushman, Samuel A.
  • Ilany, Amiyaal
  • Geffen, Eli
  • Macdonald, David W.

Abstract

Large predators have steadily declined worldwide due to habitat fragmentation, human-wildlife conflict, prey depletion, and persecution. Conservation translocations are essential for reversing these declines, yet success is often limited by small captive stocks, skewed sex ratios, poor post-release adaptation, and failure to breed in the wild. Large carnivores like the Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) face critical extinction risks, making reintroduction a crucial last resort.

Suggested Citation

  • Atzeni, Luciano & Cushman, Samuel A. & Ilany, Amiyaal & Geffen, Eli & Macdonald, David W., 2026. "Using spatially explicit individual-based modelling to evaluate the ecological feasibility of big cat reintroduction: the example of the Arabian leopard," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 511(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:511:y:2026:i:c:s0304380025003424
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2025.111356
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Eric Ash & Samuel A. Cushman & David W. Macdonald & Tim Redford & Żaneta Kaszta, 2020. "How Important Are Resistance, Dispersal Ability, Population Density and Mortality in Temporally Dynamic Simulations of Population Connectivity? A Case Study of Tigers in Southeast Asia," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-27, October.
    2. Conner, Mary M. & Ebinger, Michael R. & Knowlton, Frederick F., 2008. "Evaluating coyote management strategies using a spatially explicit, individual-based, socially structured population model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 219(1), pages 234-247.
    3. Florian J Weise & Ken J Stratford & Rudolf J van Vuuren, 2014. "Financial Costs of Large Carnivore Translocations – Accounting for Conservation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(8), pages 1-10, August.
    4. Thomas F. Johnson & Nick J. B. Isaac & Agustin Paviolo & Manuela González-Suárez, 2023. "Socioeconomic factors predict population changes of large carnivores better than climate change or habitat loss," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Julien Fattebert & Guy Balme & Tristan Dickerson & Rob Slotow & Luke Hunter, 2015. "Density-Dependent Natal Dispersal Patterns in a Leopard Population Recovering from Over-Harvest," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(4), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Ireland, Timothy & Miller Neilan, Rachael, 2016. "A spatial agent-based model of feral cats and analysis of population and nuisance controls," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 337(C), pages 123-136.
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