The African golden cat (Caracal aurata) is a forest-dependent felid endemic to the tropical forests of West and Central Africa, where deforestation and bushmeat hunting are driving population declines. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the species remains one of the least studied wild cats, and the lack of range-wide genetic data currently limits effective conservation planning.

In this project, we use high-throughput sequencing of historical museum specimens combined with field-collected samples to investigate (i) the geographic structure and evolutionary history of the African golden cat across its range and (ii) the taxonomic status and demographic history of its major lineages.

Our approach will provide the first range-wide evolutionary framework for the African golden cat, enabling a taxonomic reassessment of the species, the delineation of conservation units, and evidence-based conservation planning. The involvement of the NGO Panthera will facilitate the translation of these findings into conservation actions across West and Central Africa.

In the project, we explore the inputs of high-throughput sequencing approaches combining historical and extant populations in (i) the timing and localization of population collapses and (ii) the development of new molecular markers to study fine-scale population genetic processes in the surviving populations.

Our approach aims to identify the evolutionary processes possibly involved in the near extinction of the Mediterranean monk seal, and to establish a scientifically-base conservation plan for the last breeding populations. The involvement of a Greek NGO (MOm) will help anchor our project in applied conservation and disseminate our results to local and international actors.

Emilie Lecompte 
Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l’Environnement (CRBE)
Université de Toulouse
France

Marine Drouilly, Christopher Orbell, Phillip Henschel, Axel Moehrenschlager
Panthera, New York, USA

Collaborators

Odzala-Kokoua-Lossi Foundation, Republic of Congo

Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Gabon

Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves, Côte d’Ivoire