The Jaguar Corridor Initiative: A range-wide species conservation strategy

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Published: 31 July 2023
Last edited: 31 July 2023
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Summary

There are roughly 173,000 jaguar (Panthera onca) individuals left in the world today, with almost 90 per cent confined to Amazonia, especially in Brazil. Based on connectivity models, the species’ corridor range measures 2.6 million km2 for a total conservation network of 4.5 million km2. In order to focus research and conservation efforts across this vast network, jaguar populations and ecological corridors are prioritized using three criteria: ecological importance, network importance and corridor vulnerability. Through coarse-scaled GIS data and expert-derived resistance values, corridors were validated before conducting site-based conservation activities and strategies conducted by the federal to the individual landowner level. Activities include:

  • Developing a local corridor council
  • Working with hydroelectric companies to direct environmental mitigation and restoration projects toward areas of importance
  • Providing science-based recommendations to development projects for maintaining connectivity across the corridor

Classifications

Region
Central America
South America
Scale of implementation
Multi-national
Ecosystem
Forest ecosystems
Freshwater ecosystems
Pool, lake, pond
River, stream
Tropical deciduous forest
Tropical evergreen forest
Wetland (swamp, marsh, peatland)
Theme
Connectivity / transboundary conservation
Ecosystem services
Genetic diversity
Habitat fragmentation and degradation
Indigenous people
Local actors
Mitigation
Poaching and environmental crime
Protected and conserved areas management planning
Restoration
Species management
Traditional knowledge
Watershed management
Species Conservation and One Health Interventions
Genetic Conservation
Wildlife Health Surveillance (to capture biodiversity, health, disease, and pathogen surveillance)
Species Monitoring and Research
Challenges
Loss of Biodiversity
Conflicting uses / cumulative impacts
Ecosystem loss
Poaching
Infrastructure development

Location

Amazon Rainforest | Costa Rica, Bolivia, Paraguay, Honduras, México, Argentina, Suriname, Colombia, Uruguay, Perú, Ecuador, Panamá, Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Belize, Guyana, and Venezuela

Impacts

The Jaguar Corridor Initiative has provided a conservation blueprint across the species’ entire geographic range. Panthera is currently leading conservation efforts similar to those described for the Barbilla-Destierro Jaguar Corridor in 11 of the 18 countries where jaguars reside.

Support for the initiative has been steadily growing across jaguar range with the backing of numerous governments, landowners, corporations and scientists. With growing support, the vision of a connected and protected ecological network for jaguars from Mexico to Argentina hopefully will become reality.

 

Jaguar research is ongoing across the ecological network and further corridor monitoring plans are being established.

Contributed by

connectivity_43054's picture

IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group

Other contributors

Kathy Zeller
Massachusetts Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit