Carnivores under siege: protected areas cover only one-third of global predator ranges

In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, a diminutive predator tells a larger story about conservation challenges worldwide. The northern tiger cat, weighing less than a typical house cat, requires up to 20 square miles of territory to survive—a space need that reflects a critical problem facing carnivores globally.

A groundbreaking study published in Science Advances reveals the stark reality confronting the world’s predators: protected areas cover just 35% of carnivore ranges, while nearly two-thirds of their territories overlap with densely populated human areas and urban development. Researchers analyzed 257 carnivore species across the planet, documenting how human expansion is systematically eroding the vast landscapes these animals need for hunting and breeding.

The findings are particularly alarming because many of these threatened carnivores serve as keystone species—animals whose presence is essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems. “We need to keep ecosystems functioning, and carnivores are very important pieces of these ecosystems,” explains co-author Nuria Selva, an ecologist at Spain’s Doñana Biological Station.

From Amazon tiger cats facing habitat fragmentation to Bengal tigers squeezed by human development, the research highlights a global conservation crisis. As human populations expand and infrastructure spreads, the territorial needs of predators—often requiring dozens of square miles per individual—increasingly clash with development pressures. The study underscores an urgent need to expand protected areas and create wildlife corridors that can support these far-ranging species essential to ecological balance.