Research overview: Amur leopard prey and forest health

Amur leopards rely chiefly on roe deer, sika deer, and other ungulates whose abundance, depressed by poaching and habitat degradation, limits leopard recovery in the cold forests of the Russian Far East. This overview surveys research on the leopard's prey base and the management needed to sustain it, including anti-poaching of ungulates, supplementary winter feeding in some areas, and protection of forest from logging and fire. Studies link prey density to leopard density and examine competition and coexistence with the sympatric Amur tiger, which shares the same prey. Researchers emphasize that restoring and protecting wild ungulates is fundamental to expanding the leopard population beyond its small core. The overview frames prey management as a central, sometimes overlooked, pillar of Amur leopard conservation, reinforcing the recurring lesson that protecting a predator means protecting the entire forest community on which it depends.