Partnering with FUNDAECO to Protect Biodiversity and People in Guatemala 

In Guatemala’s Caribbean region, the forests of Izabal stretch from mist-covered mountain ridges to the mangrove-lined coast. Here, wild cats still roam — jaguars, pumas, ocelots, jaguarundis and margays whose pawprints trace ancient paths between rivers, cloud forests and wetlands. These landscapes form a living corridor that links Belize, Honduras, and northern Guatemala and are lifelines that connect both wildlife and people across Central America.  
 
But these landscapes are changing fast. Illegal logging, poaching, illegal drug cultivation and trafficking, and expanding agriculture are fragmenting habitats, threatening to sever the natural corridors that wild cats — and countless other species — depend on. Without safe passage between forests, jaguar populations risk isolation, weakening the genetic and ecological links that sustain them. 
 
To keep these forests alive, Panthera supports our partners FUNDAECO (Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la Conservación) in Guatemala, one of the country’s leading conservation organizations. Together, we’re combining global science and local action to protect wildlife, safeguard communities, and maintain the integrity of one of Mesoamerica’s most critical ecosystems. 

Through this partnership, we’re helping to: 

• Deploy remote cameras to monitor wild-cat species that shape Guatemala’s forests. 
• Conduct patrols with FUNDAECO rangers and local community guardians — covering more than 1,000 kilometers during 2023-2024 alone. 
• Map and protect the Guatemala–Honduras Binational Corridor, a vital bridge for connectivity between the Sierra Caral Reserve and Honduras’s Cusuco National Park. 
• Empower local communities to participate in conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and environmental education.  

As FUNDAECO safeguards forests and supports families through programs in health, education, and livelihoods, Panthera helps provide cutting-edge tools, data, and expertise to strengthen protection and wildlife monitoring. Together, we’re transforming the way conservation works — connecting people, science, and policy across borders. 

“Conservation isn’t just about cats,” says Bárbara Escobar Anleu, Panthera Guatemala Country Coordinator. “It’s about the health of the entire landscape — forests, water, and the future of the people who depend on them. We must have that integrated approach if we want our conservation efforts to be successful for life in general.” 
 
Every wild cat sighting on a remote trap is a reminder that progress is possible. Through partnership, persistence and shared purpose, FUNDAECO and Panthera are proving that when conservation connects science with community, everyone wins — from wildlife to humans.