Hunting, habitat loss and fragmentation have driven a rapid decline in the distribution and
abundance of the clouded leopard, Neofelis nebulosa, across its range, and in several areas the
species is now extirpated, including Taiwan. Taiwan, an historical stronghold of the species, is a
candidate for expanding its current range by reintroduction, based on increasing prey abundance and
high forest coverage. Such future reintroduction efforts, however, are hampered by the lack of an
empirical analysis of clouded leopard habitat potential in the island. To address this knowledge gap,
this study explores the species’ habitat suitability in Taiwan. We employed a multi-scale multivariate habitat selection model based on clouded leopard presence-absence data from extensive
camera trap surveys across its current range, and extrapolated the result to predict suitable habitats in
Taiwan. Our results reveal that 40% of Taiwanese territory represents suitable habitats for clouded
leopards and of which 90% is under protection. This demonstrates the robust potential of Taiwan’s
habitat for clouded leopard reintroduction.