Jaguar 2030: The Future of Latin America's Iconic Big Cat

Dr. Allison Devlin is the Deputy Director of Panthera's Jaguar Program, managing conservation action strategies for jaguars across North and South America. Dr. Roberto Salom-Pérez serves as Panthera’s Latin America Hub Director, where he plays a pivotal role in leading conservation efforts across the region. Both are passionate about jaguars and wild cats and have accomplished significant strides in conservation during their tenures at Panthera.

A Global Commitment to Jaguar Conservation 

The jaguar, a powerful symbol of wild and untamed beauty, faces a near-threatened future. With nearly half of its original habitat lost, and populations declining due to habitat destruction and fragmentation, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict, the need to act has never been greater. 

In a groundbreaking global initiative to safeguard the jaguar's future, conservation teams from Panthera, WCS, WWF, and UNDP partnered with 14 jaguar range States in late 2018 to launch The Jaguar 2030 Conservation Roadmap for the Americas. 

The Vision: Jaguar 2030 Roadmap 

The Roadmap, endorsed by 16 of the 18 Jaguar range countries, includes Costa Rica, Bolivia, Paraguay, Honduras, México, Argentina, Suriname, Colombia, Uruguay, Perú, Ecuador, Panamá, Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Belize as signatories. 

The goal is to protect and connect jaguar habitat to ensure that jaguars can thrive in the wild for generations to come. 

A Collaborative Effort: Strategic Pillars Driving Impact

The Roadmap is built on four strategic pillars that guide all actions and initiatives: 

1. Coordination Across the Range: To support the protection, connectivity, and expansion of jaguar habitats, efforts are being synchronized across the entire jaguar range. This includes enhancing national strategies and contributing to transboundary conservation efforts. 
2. National Strategy Development: Each Jaguar range country is developing and implementing national strategies that align with the broader Roadmap goals. This ensures that local conservation actions contribute to regional and global efforts, creating a cohesive approach to jaguar conservation. 
3. Sustainable Development Integration: The Roadmap promotes sustainable development models that are compatible with jaguar conservation. By integrating conservation goals with economic activities such as eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture, the Roadmap supports both biodiversity and the livelihoods of local communities. 
4. Financial Sustainability: Ensuring long-term financial support for jaguar conservation is a key focus. The Roadmap seeks to attract funding from various sources, including the private sector, to sustain the efforts needed to protect jaguars and their ecosystems. 

On-the-Ground Impact 

In Costa Rica, efforts to secure jaguar corridors are not only helping to protect the species but also contributing to forest conservation and carbon sequestration, which are vital in the fight against climate change. Also, rural communities are improving their livelihoods by relying on ecotourism and production of artisanal food products, souvenirs and others. 

In the case of Honduras, Panthera’s work included the discovery of unknown jaguar populations, the creation of a new protected area, the first in country implementation of SMART and anti-poaching acoustic monitoring; and the first reintroduction of a jaguar prey species (Collared peccary) that had been extirpated from a national park. Also, in coordination with the Honduran government, the first jaguar conservation National Plan was approved and published.  

The recent 2024 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties (CoP) 16 was held in Cali, Colombia, from late October to early November 2024. During the CBD CoP16, delegates and leaders from around the world met to provide updates and coordinate commitments to save biodiversity made under the Kuming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Our Panthera delegation worked together with the Jaguar 2030 Coordination Committee (UNDP, UNEP, UNODC, CITES, CMS, Panthera, WCS, WWF) and the Ministries of Jaguar range States including Colombia, Brazil, and others, to host multiple events related to the Jaguar Roadmap. The topics included Peace and Biodiversity, jaguars as indicators for biodiversity and as umbrella species, jaguar monitoring, human-wildlife coexistence, jaguars as motors for eco-tourism connectivity corridors, sustainable financing for jaguar conservation, countering wildlife crime and cross-border collaboration to mitigate threats to jaguars and their habitat. 

Why Jaguars Matter 

Jaguars are more than just a symbol of wild beauty; they are a keystone species whose presence is indicative of a healthy ecosystem. Protecting jaguars means protecting the forests, rivers, and other wildlife that share their habitat. This, in turn, supports the well-being of local communities who depend on these ecosystems for their livelihoods. 

How You Can Help  

The impact of the Jaguar 2030 Roadmap is already gaining support across Latin America. The creation of the annual International Jaguar Day on November 29, 2018, has raised public awareness and mobilized actions at both local and national levels.  

The Jaguar 2030 Roadmap presents a vital opportunity to protect one of the world’s most iconic species. By supporting conservation efforts and raising awareness about jaguars and their habitats, we can ensure jaguars continue to thrive in America’s’ wilderness. 

Our collective action will not only protect forests but also uplift communities and preserve the rich beauty and resources of these ecosystems for future generations. This initiative symbolizes resilience and the strength of global collaboration. Together, we can make a meaningful difference for jaguars, the environment, and our planet. 

A Future for Jaguars is a Future for Us All. 

Read more about Panthera's Jaguar Program. For more information and resources please visit InternationalJaguarDay.org.