Bogotá
- The jaguar was awarded renewed protection yesterday with the
establishment of the second conservation agreement between the
government of Colombia and
Panthera, an organization dedicated to the preservation of wild cats around the globe.
Convening
in Bogotá, Colombia's Minister of Environment and Sustainable
Development, Mr. Gabriel Vallejo, presided over the signing of the
Memorandum of Understanding with Panthera's CEO and renowned jaguar
scientist,
Dr. Alan Rabinowitz.
Through this agreement, Colombia and Panthera have together committed
to implement conservation initiatives working to map jaguar presence,
and protect and connect populations in Colombia, along with those in
Central and South America; enable land developments benefitting the
nation's economic interests and local wildlife; and mitigate
livestock-jaguar conflict.
In
2010, Colombia became the first Latin American government to officially
commit to engage in jaguar conservation initiatives with Panthera. Four
years later, with this renewed pledge, Colombia's progressive approach
to conservation of the jaguar and the nation's other biodiversity
continues. This second MOU shows the exemplary commitment of the country
to jaguar conservation, making it the lead in Latin America. The
Colombian government has strengthened its commitment to biodiversity
conservation, consequent to being a signatory to the Convention on
Biological Diversity, whilst recognizing that saving jaguars also
conserves their wild habitats and other wildlife and secures much needed
forest connectivity.
"From
México to Argentina, jaguars will have the opportunity to connect and
have genetic exchanges, guaranteeing their health, reproduction and
survival," assured Mr. Gabriel Vallejo, Colombia's Minister of
Environment and Sustainable Development.
"Colombia
is leading the way in Latin America for jaguar conservation,
consequently with its privileged position in the Jaguar Corridor.
Without Colombian jaguars, there is no corridor," said Dr. Alan
Rabinowitz.
 |
Panthera's
CEO Dr. Alan Rabinowitz (right) and Colombia's Minister of Environment
and Sustainable Development Mr. Gabriel Vallejo at the signing of the
second jaguar conservation agreement between Colombia and Panthera.
|
He
continued, "This commitment is especially representative for Colombia
in the face of a peace treaty with guerrilla insurgents. Once peace is
achieved, we should expect a strengthening of governance aided by the
country´s armed forces in and around protected areas."
Panthera's Jaguar Program Executive Director,
Dr. Howard Quigley,
added, "Jaguars need all the help they can get. The government´s
continued effort sets a standard message of conservation urgency to the
general public. We should assume corporations and other private entities
should step up their environmental responsibilities as a reflection of
the government´s example."
Bordered
by Panama to the north, Colombia serves as the sole genetic gateway for
jaguars moving between Central and South America - a continental
connector for the species. Through the Jaguar Corridor Initiative,
Panthera has been working since 2009 to identify and connect jaguar
populations in Colombia's Northern and Eastern Jaguar Corridors.
Assessing the implications of habitat changes, like oil palm plantation
developments, on jaguars and other wildlife has been one focal activity,
which led to Panthera capturing the
first photos of jaguars in a Colombian oil palm plantation in 2012.
Panthera's
scientists have additionally developed replicable conservation ranches
to mitigate human-jaguar conflict, including the use of San Martinero,
or creole cattle, that have retained defensive behaviors to protect
cattle herds from jaguars.
Today, Panthera's
Jaguar Corridor Initiative
(JCI) serves as the largest and most effective carnivore conservation
program in existence; spanning nearly six million square kilometers, the
JCI seeks to connect and protect jaguar populations from Mexico to
Argentina, ensuring the species' genetic diversity and survival.
Colombia is one of 13 countries with which Panthera is implementing
strategic jaguar conservation science.
The
signing of yesterday's agreement comes on the heels of a Panthera-led
expedition earlier this week to the recently expanded Chiribiquete
National Park, which at 2.7 million hectares serves as Colombia's
largest park, home to one of the country's highest densities of jaguars.
Illustrating the ancient, cultural connection between humans and
jaguars, Chiribiquete's tabletop mountains contain petroglyphs including
depictions of jaguars, considered to be the oldest evidence of human
existence in the Amazon basin.
At the signing,
Dr. Esteban Payán,
Director of Panthera's Colombia Jaguar Program, stated, "Colombia is
preparing for post-conflict scenarios and there is no better way to do
that than to strengthen its conservation areas and initiatives through a
connective strategy like the Jaguar Corridor. We hope the corridor is
yet one more layer that will aid in territory management such as land
development planning and zoning for the future of Colombia."
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