English
Jaguars are among the most charismatic and important large carnivores in Latin America. However, they have lost much of their range to human activities like logging and ranching, which destroy their habitat and reduce their populations. Additionally, they are subject to hunting and persecution by people trying to protect their cattle and domestic animals.
Jaguars once roamed throughout the forests of Nicaragua’s Pacific Coast; however, due to deforestation, the only remaining population of jaguars in this region is found in the Paso del Istmo biological corridor. We have found evidence of jaguars, but to protect this last remaining population, we need to find out how many there are, where they roam, and what the most immediate threats to their survival are.
Since 2005, Paso Pacífico has been working to establish the “Paso del Istmo” biological corridor in southwestern Nicaragua, to support conservation of a variety of flora and fauna in this highly fragmented and deforested landscape. Despite the lack of habitat protection, the Paso del Istmo retains the last populations of jaguars, monkeys, parrots, and other wildlife remaining in western Nicaragua. Due to deforestation further north, for many tropical animals the Paso del Istmo represents their northernmost extent in western Central America. By helping us to conserve jaguars and other wildlife in this region, you are contributing to saving and restoring one of the last footholds that many endangered animals have in western Nicaragua.
Research questions being asked:
- Where do populations of jaguars persist in southwestern Nicaragua?
- How do they manage to survive in a heavily populated landscape dominated by ranching?
- What role does western Nicaragua’s jaguar population play in the conservation of this species?
- How can we protect this vulnerable population of jaguars?