SHILLONG : Meghalaya has launched Mission Clouded Leopard, a new conservation programme aimed at protecting the clouded leopard, the state’s official animal, and strengthening efforts to preserve its natural habitat.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma announced the mission on Tuesday to mark International Clouded Leopard Day, saying the initiative will serve as Meghalaya’s flagship programme for conserving the elusive species across the state.
The programme will be guided by the Meghalaya Clouded Leopard Action Plan, which focuses on habitat protection, scientific research, long-term monitoring, stronger anti-poaching measures, improving forest connectivity and increasing community participation in conservation efforts. The Forest and Environment Department will implement the mission.
According to preliminary findings from an ongoing scientific assessment, researchers have identified 21 individual clouded leopards in the Balpakram landscape, marking one of the state’s most significant wildlife monitoring achievements in recent years. The survey is now being expanded to other clouded leopard habitats to establish Meghalaya’s first comprehensive population estimate.
The clouded leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is also included in Appendix I of CITES, providing it with the highest level of international protection against illegal trade.Known locally by different names across Meghalaya, the clouded leopard is an elusive, tree-dwelling predator that plays an important role in maintaining healthy forest ecosystems by regulating prey populations.
Officials said Meghalaya continues to hold some of the country’s most important habitats for the species, including Nokrek, Balpakram, Baghmara, Narpuh and Nongkhyllem. However, these forests face growing threats from habitat fragmentation, declining ecological connectivity, illegal hunting, snaring and climate change.
Launching the mission on International Clouded Leopard Day, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said “Protecting Meghalaya’s state animal would require the participation of local communities, traditional institutions, researchers and conservation groups the government aims to strengthen habitat protection, scientific monitoring and public awareness ” while expanding surveys to produce the state’s first comprehensive estimate of the clouded leopard population.
( Image: DIPR Meghalaya)