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Threats to migration pathways
Habitat loss and fragmentation represent the over-arching threat
to cheetahs. With annual home ranges of up to 3,000
km
2
, they
need far larger areas to survive than almost any other terrestrial
carnivore species. The majority of the cheetah’s known range falls
outside government-protected areas, mainly on community and
private lands that are not secure from economic development and
often face intense land use pressures. There can also be conflict
with subsistence pastoralists and commercial ranchers if
cheetahs kill livestock, although they prefer wild prey.
To the north of their range, the loss of availability of
wild prey is also a major cause of decline.
Opportunities for ecological networks
Most cheetah populations inside protected areas are too small
to remain viable if they are isolated from surrounding lands,
and without active management, they are likely to eventually go
extinct. It is thought that viable cheetah populations require areas
in excess of 10,000
km
2
. This requires maintaining connectivity
across a landscape of protected areas and multi-use environments
in a systematic way. The transboundary nature of
many cheetah populations makes cooperation and
management across national borders essential for
their survival.
Protecting the cheetah’s range also benefits
other migratory wildlife, including those not
currently protected by international agreements
such as Appendix I of the CMS. The Serengeti-
Mara-Tsavo landscape, for example, is home not
only to a globally important population of cheetahs,
but also to vast numbers of migratory wildebeest,
zebra, eland and Thomson’s gazelle. In 2011, the Tanzanian
government ensured that the proposed commercial road network
would not bisect the Serengeti and all roads inside the park remain
under the park management. This will help to maintain the integrity
of the ecosystem and safeguard all of these populations.
Historically present across Africa and into western Asia, cheetahs have experienced major contractions in range
and population size, threatening the survival of the species. It now occurs in less than one-tenth of its historical
range in eastern Africa, and just one-fifth in southern Africa. It has all but disappeared from Asia, apart from an
isolated pocket in Iran. Southern and eastern Africa both hold globally significant populations, about one-third
of which move across international boundaries. Information on the status of the species in many countries, and
especially in north and central Africa, is limited.
Cheetah
(
Acinonyx jubatus
)
CMS STATUS
CMS INSTRUMENT(S)
Appendix I (except populations in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe)
None