A key priority of the Cape Leopard Trust is to invest in and empower scientific research. The result is that the employees, students and associates of the CLT have authored, co-authored and enabled a number of peer-reviewed academic articles.
Such scientific papers are vital to consistently improve the strategic management of the ecosystems and landscapes in which we work. Contributions to scientific literature are a valuable tool to assist researchers globally by sharing knowledge.
Tensen, L., Khan, A., Sarabia, C., Bishop, J., Camacho, G., Fischer, K. & Williams, K.S. (2026) Genomic divergence of leopards in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa: potential drivers for local adaptation. Heredity early online. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-026-00822-z
Hickling, C. J., Serieys, L.E.K., Leighton, G.R.M., Kienle, S.S., Bishop, J.M. & Carroll, K.A. (2026) Illuminating the influence of artificial light at night on the behaviour of an adaptable carnivore. Science of the Total Environment 1016: 181469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181469
Steyn, L.E., Williams, K.S., Mann, G.K.H., Wilkinson, A. & Distiller, G. (2026) Tails Through Time: leopard population dynamics in the Little Karoo. Journal of Arid Environments 232: 105515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105515
Mann, G.K.H., Williams, K.S. & da Silva J.M. (2025) A conservation assessment of Panthera pardus. In: Patel T., Smith C., Roxburgh L., da Silva J.M. & Raimondo D., editors. The Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. South African National Biodiversity Institute and Endangered Wildlife Trust, South Africa. https://ewt.org/project/leopard/
Klaver, M., Currie, B., Sekonya, J.G. & Coetzer, K. (2025) Exploring collaborative conservation across a multifunctional landscape in the Boland Mountain Complex, South Africa. Conservation Science and Practice e70213. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70213
Dzingwena, L., Thel, L., Choisy, M., Garbett, R., Wilkinson, A., Venter, J., Fritz, H., Huchard, E., Prugnolle, F. & Rougeron, V. (2025) Climate and predation drive variation of diel activity patterns in chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) across Southern Africa. Scientific Reports 15: 39342. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23151-3
Comley, J., van Tonder, J., Greyling, E., Wilkinson, A., Williams, K.S., Annecke, W.J. & Leslie, A.J. (2025) Unveiling threat patterns for leopards and mesopredators in agricultural landscapes of South Africa. People and Nature 7: 2291-2306. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70127
Leighton, G.R., Brooke, A.R., Froneman, P.W., Serieys, L.E. & Bishop, J.M. (2025) The Cat's Whiskers: stable isotopes reveal individual specialisation of adaptable caracals (Caracal caracal) foraging in an urbanising landscape. Ecology and Evolution 15(3): e71154. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71154
Leighton, G.R.M. & Serieys, L.E.K. (2025) Wild Cats on the Internet: the role of social media in popularising caracals in South Africa. Environmental Communication 19(1): 87-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2024.2402466
Carle, J.L. (2024) Investigating leopard (Panthera pardus) movement corridors in the Western Cape, South Africa, and determining applied conservation strategies. MSc thesis. Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Steyn, L. (2024) Tails through time: leopard population dynamics in the Little Karoo. MSc thesis. University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Wilkinson, A., Fabricius, M., Brink, E., Garbett, R., Hahndiek, E. & Williams, K.S. (2024) Leopard dispersal across a fragmented landscape in the Western Cape, South Africa. African Journal of Ecology 62: e13284. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.13284
Serieys, L.E.K, Leighton, G.R.M., Merondun, J. & Bishop, J.M. (2024) Denning and maternal behaviour of caracals (Caracal caracal). Mammalian Biology 104: 615-621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-024-00429-z
Leighton, G.R.M., Froneman, P.W., Serieys, L.E.K. & Bishop, J.M. (2024) Sustained use of marine subsidies promotes niche expansion in a wild felid. Science of The Total Environment 914: 169912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169912
Kyriazis, C.C., Serieys, L.E.K, Bishop, J.M, Drouilly, M., Viljoen, S., Wayne, R.K. & Lohmueller, K.E. (2024) The influence of gene flow on population viability in an isolated urban caracal population. Molecular Ecology 33: e17346. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17346
