The jaguar is an icon of wildness. But as late as 1999, little was known about jaguar behavior and less about its status in the wild. Habitat was disappearing. Conflict with ranchers was increasing, and the preferred solution was lethal for jaguars. Although the species was thought to have disappeared from much of its range, little scientific data existed, and reliable survey methods had yet to be developed.
That year, jaguar biologists meeting in Mexico determined that all this had to change. To this end, they founded the Jaguar Conservation Program, now led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Panthera, which are:
- Deploying a team of field scientists to document the jaguar's true status;
- Collaborating with ranchers to address the root causes of conflict;
- Negotiating site-specific conservation plans; and
- Establishing corridors connecting jaguar populations throughout Mesoamerica
The Foundation is convinced that unless local ranchers play a willing role in jaguar survival on private grazing lands, the jaguar may well be lost from large portions of its range.