Panthera's Landscape Analysis Lab (LAL) provides spatial data and analysis to help answer questions and solve problems for Panthera’s conservation projects. Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), satellite imagery, and statistical modeling, our Landscape Analysis Lab looks at wild cat landscapes at different scales to identify important patterns within those habitats, along with the causes and consequences of these patterns.
Patterns might include destruction of wild cat habitat for oil palm plantation developments, jaguar range use in a protected area, road and livestock density, sightings of wild cats and their prey, vegetation coverage and elevation, and more. The advent of GPS collars also helps our team gather more detailed data on the whereabouts of individual cats, which enables the LAL to perform more accurate analyses regarding habitat use.
Taken together, these data provide a comprehensive picture of habitat availability for wild cats, allowing our scientists to prioritize conservation areas and build effective species conservation plans.