Research overview: clouded leopard distribution across mainland Asia and Sundaland

Clouded leopards occupy forests from the Himalayan foothills and northeast India through Southeast Asia, with a distinct species on Borneo and Sumatra. This overview compiles records describing their association with dense tropical and subtropical forest, from lowland rainforest to montane and even some secondary forest. The mainland clouded leopard and the Sunda clouded leopard together span a broad but increasingly fragmented range tied closely to forest cover. Both are elusive and hard to survey, so distribution maps rely on scattered camera-trap and genetic records. Clarifying where each species persists matters because rapid deforestation across the region, especially for plantations, is fragmenting populations and because the two species require separate conservation assessment and planning.