Five-day virtual gathering to unite the international conservation community to better protect the world’s vulnerable leopards
This March, seven conservation organisations will unite to host the inaugural Global Leopard Conference, a virtual gathering of the world’s foremost leopard scientists and enthusiasts seeking to better protect one of the world’s most important persecuted and threatened big cat species.
The conference, conceived to create opportunities to enhance leopard conservation through international collaboration and learning exchanges, will take place online from 13 to 17 March 2023 and will be hosted by an international partnership comprising the Cape Leopard Trust, Panthera, the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) – Oxford University, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the WildCats Conservation Alliance, the Royal Commission for AIUIa, and the Arabian Leopard Fund.
The inclusive five-day virtual conference will bring together organisations and individuals researching, observing, appreciating, and conserving the nine subspecies of leopards across the globe, providing a platform to share leopard conservation lessons and promote collaborative solutions to ensure the long-term survival of this ecologically important umbrella species. The conference aims to engage with students, academics, scientists, conservation organisations, media representatives, artists, and leopard aficionados. Furthermore, topics will be relevant to researchers working across the broader carnivore community.
Renowned keynote speakers include Prof David Macdonald of Oxford University’s WildCRU; Dr Vidya Athreya of the Wildlife Conservation Society; Dr Guy Balme of Panthera; Dr Sanjay Gubbi of Holématthi Nature Foundation; Taisiia Marchenkova of Land of the Leopard National Park; Dr Hadi al Hikmani of The Royal Commission for AlUla; and Margot Raggett of Remembering Wildlife.
All interested parties are invited to join the conference for fascinating leopard conservation conversations, interesting research, and networking opportunities. For the full conference programme and registration details, visit leopardconference.org
In addition to the full 5-day conference, there will be two free-to-attend evening events open to everyone:
- Tuesday 14 March 18h00 SAST (GMT+2): a film screening of the To Skin a Cat documentary and Q&A with the filmmakers Greg Lomas and Colwyn Thomas, joined by Panthera’s Furs For Life Project Coordinator, Tristan Dickerson.
- Thursday 16 March 18h00 SAST (GMT+2): a virtual safari with Painteddog.TV and Brent Leo Smith, featuring a live game drive in search of leopards on the edge of South Africa's Kruger Park.
Links to attend will be advertised on the Global Leopard Conference social media channels and website.
Leopards, known for their beautiful, patterned coats and extreme adaptability, are one of the most persecuted large cats in the world. Extinct in 13 countries/regions and possibly extinct in seven more, leopards have vanished from at least two-thirds of their historic range in Africa and 84 percent in Eurasia. Leopards are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with some subspecies classified as Critically Endangered.
Contact:
Event-related queries:
Event organiser ~ Africa Massive [email protected]
Media & PR queries:
Partner representative ~ Jeannie Hayward [email protected]
Facebook and Instagram @globalleopardconference
LinkedIN @Global Leopard Conference
Twitter @LeopardConf
