Research overview: gaps in protected-area networks for shifting cat ranges

Existing protected-area networks were largely designed around present-day distributions and may not cover where species will need to be as the climate changes. This overview surveys gap analyses that assess how well reserve networks will represent felid habitat under future climate, where projected range shifts fall outside protection, and how networks might be expanded or reconfigured. It reviews the challenge of protecting future habitat that is not yet occupied. The synthesis frames the mismatch between static reserves and moving ranges as a central climate-adaptation problem, explaining why conservation planners increasingly evaluate protected-area networks against future as well as current distributions, seeking to fill the gaps before species arrive at habitat that lacks protection.