Article by Darren Lloyd
An agreement signed between Panthera (Worlds’ leading wild cat conservation organization), the Costa Rican government and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has given Jaguar conservation a huge boost.
- The near threatened jaguar is the Americas’ biggest cat and is widely regarded as one of the Worlds’ most majestic creatures.
- Jaguars roam much of Central and South America but are under threat from habitat loss and direct killings relating to jaguar predation of livestock.
- The agreement; called the ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ will benefit jaguar conservation in the following ways;
- Firstly, all parties will commit to trying to secure protected wild lands acting as jaguar habitat or that which offers a corridor through which jaguars can safely navigate to other areas of habitat across its’ whole range (from Northern Argentina to Mexico!)
- Secondly, ensuring ranching and jaguar habitat is conservation compatible. New methods will reduce jaguars killing farmers’ livestock (and therefore reduce instances of farmers killing jaguars to protect their livelihoods).
- In the U.S, the FWS have also proposed to designate almost 850,000 acres of land to critical jaguar habitat, which would mean the land would be protected from any land degrading activity.
- The agreement comes as great news for the jaguar as well as many other species which will benefit as a result of the protected land.
Want to Learn More? Read the full story: Jaguar conservation gets a boost in North and Central America