Behind the Lens: The Science, Conservation, and Adventure of Leopard Research
Over the past three years, SCIF’s research team conducted one of the most comprehensive leopard surveys ever undertaken, deploying more than 1,000 camera-trap stations across approximately 12,000 km². With 1,424 leopard detections which resulted in 427 individual leopards identified, this SCIF project is providing the first robust, science-based estimates of leopard populations across multiple land-uses in Botswana.
These findings are already informing conservation policy. The data have helped the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks develop a 10-year Leopard Management Plan submitted to CITES in support of the country’s leopard export quota, demonstrating how rigorous science can guide sustainable wildlife management.
Building on this success, the project is now expanding into South Africa through a partnership with the PHASA Foundation. Together, SCIF and its partners will continue generating the reliable population data needed to support evidence-based conservation, sustainable use, and the long-term future of one of Africa’s most iconic predators.
Watch how this pioneering research is helping shape the future of leopard conservation across southern Africa.
