Big Cats, Big Landscapes

Protecting the World’s Wild Cats Through Community Conservation

Across forests in Asia and South America, some of the world’s most iconic predators still move quietly through the landscape. Jaguars in the Amazon. Tigers in the forests of Nepal and Thailand. Leopards in the hills outside Kathmandu. Clouded leopards and bay cats in the rainforests of Borneo.

These animals are powerful symbols of wilderness, but their survival depends on something far less visible: the decisions made by the people who share their landscapes.

At Community Conservation, we work with local communities across the globe to protect ecosystems that support these remarkable animals. From creating wildlife corridors in Nepal to protecting forests in Peru and Malaysia, community leadership is the key to ensuring that big cats, and the ecosystems they anchor, can survive.

Leopard caught on camera trap in Udayapur District Nepal

Nepal: Reconnecting Forests for Tigers and Leopards

Along with our in-country partner, the Nature Conservation and Study Centre,  we have traveled across numerous districts in Nepal to meet with communities working to create a wildlife corridor linking forests across the region.

The goal is simple: reconnect fragmented habitats so wildlife, including tigers and leopards, can move safely across the landscape.

In five districts in southeastern Nepal, we’ve met with community forestry groups, local government officials, and representatives from the Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN), camera trapping with the communities so they can learn about the wildlife in their forests. 

Tiger in Chitwan National Park (photo courtesy of Nepal Tiger Trust)

Watching wildlife captured on film has sparked excitement among residents about the animals living in nearby forests. Across the five districts, communities have a strong interest in expanding monitoring programs and strengthening conservation efforts.

In several areas, people reported seeing wildlife less often but experiencing more conflict with animals, a reminder of how important monitoring and community knowledge are for understanding how wildlife populations are actually changing. By connecting forests and supporting local communities to monitor wildlife, the corridor project aims to ensure that species like tigers and leopards can continue moving through eastern Nepal’s forests for generations to come.

Jungle cat (Felis chaus) caught on camera trap in Nepal

Peru: Protecting Forests for Jaguars

In the Amazon foothills of northern Peru, another great cat roams the forests: the jaguar.

Our partner organization, Neotropical Primate Conservation, is working with local communities to establish the Remnant Forests of Morro and Sustainable Titi Monkey Refuge Conservation Concession. This 407-hectare protected area near Moyobamba safeguards habitat for the critically endangered San Martín titi monkey, as well as hundreds of other species.

The forests also support large predators like jaguars, which rely on intact ecosystems and abundant prey. Local residents formed the Association for the Conservation of the Watersheds of Yantaló to protect this landscape, not only for wildlife, but because the forest provides clean drinking water for surrounding communities. Protecting biodiversity here protects people as well.

Jaguar caught on camera trap in Peru

Borneo: Rainforest Refuge for Rare Cats

In the rainforests of Sarawak, Malaysia, communities are working to restore forest habitat by rewilding rubber plantations with native fruit trees. These forests are home to some of the most elusive cats on Earth, including the Sunda clouded leopard and the mysterious Bornean bay cat, one of the least-studied felines in the world.

Community members are planting native species, removing invasive trees, and deploying camera traps and acoustic monitors to better understand the wildlife living in the forest. Their work also helps protect other threatened species, including pangolins, hornbills, orangutans, and sun bears.

Camera trap footage of a clouded leopard in Sarawak

Why Big Cats Matter

Big cats sit at the top of the food chain. When they thrive, entire ecosystems can function. Protecting them requires more than protected areas. It requires connected landscapes, healthy prey populations, and communities who see conservation as part of their future.

In Nepal,  Peru, and Malaysia, communities are stepping forward to protect forests, monitor wildlife, and restore ecosystems. 

You too can support community-led conservation today at
communityconservation.org/support

A leopard in Dakshinkali, Nepal. You can watch the leopard eating prey in this video on our YouTube channel.