Research overview: agricultural frontiers and the squeeze on cat habitat

Expanding agricultural frontiers, soy and cattle in South America, oil palm in Southeast Asia, smallholder farming in Africa and Asia, are among the largest drivers of habitat loss for wild cats. This overview surveys how commodity-driven land conversion reshapes felid landscapes, the role of global supply chains and consumer demand, and how zero-deforestation commitments and certification attempt to decouple production from habitat loss. It reviews the mixed evidence on whether such measures work. The synthesis frames agricultural expansion as a globally connected pressure on cats, explaining how decisions in distant markets translate into forest cleared from tiger and jaguar range, and why land-use governance spans local enforcement to international trade policy.