Layman's Talk: Andhika Ariyanto on Conserving the Javan Leopard

Large carnivores play a vital role in keeping ecosystems healthy, but conserving them is becoming increasingly difficult as human activities reshape natural landscapes.

Nowhere is this challenge more evident than on the Indonesian island of Java, home to the endangered Javan leopard—a top predator surviving in a patchwork of fragmented forests surrounded by one of the world's highest human population densities.

In this episode, Dr Andhika Ariyanto explains his research that follows the Javan leopard from the scale of individual animals to entire landscapes.

Dr Andhika Ariyanto

Using camera traps, ecological modelling, and connectivity analyses, his research investigates how prey availability influences where leopards live, and how future changes such as road expansion or reforestation could affect their ability to move between habitats.

Together, these findings highlight the importance of conserving wildlife beyond protected areas and show how science can help design landscapes where both people and large carnivores can thrive.

Enjoyed this episode? Check out the previous edition of Layman's Talk

Header image: Candra Firmansyah, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons