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    Status of The Jaguar in Guatemala

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    Monica
    This document summarizes the status of jaguars in Guatemala. It finds that the two most important areas for jaguar conservation are the Maya Biosphere Reserve and Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, as they contain the largest blocks of suitable habitat. Within these areas, three jaguar conservation units have been identified that are considered able to maintain populations of over 50 jaguars over the long term. However, all of these areas are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. While conservation measures have been implemented, including protected area designations, threats such as illegal hunting and habitat destruction continue to endanger jaguar populations in Guatemala.

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    Status of The Jaguar in Guatemala

    Uploaded by

    Monica
    78 views5 pages
    This document summarizes the status of jaguars in Guatemala. It finds that the two most important areas for jaguar conservation are the Maya Biosphere Reserve and Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, as they contain the largest blocks of suitable habitat. Within these areas, three jaguar conservation units have been identified that are considered able to maintain populations of over 50 jaguars over the long term. However, all of these areas are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. While conservation measures have been implemented, including protected area designations, threats such as illegal hunting and habitat destruction continue to endanger jaguar populations in Guatemala.

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    Status of the Jaguar in Guatemala

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    Status of the Jaguar in Guatemala

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    This document summarizes the status of jaguars in Guatemala. It finds that the two most important areas for jaguar conservation are the Maya Biosphere Reserve and Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, as they contain the largest blocks of suitable habitat. Within these areas, three jaguar conservation units have been identified that are considered able to maintain populations of over 50 jaguars over the long term. However, all of these areas are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. While conservation measures have been implemented, including protected area designations, threats such as illegal hunting and habitat destruction continue to endanger jaguar populations in Guatemala.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    78 views5 pages

    Status of The Jaguar in Guatemala

    Uploaded by

    Monica
    This document summarizes the status of jaguars in Guatemala. It finds that the two most important areas for jaguar conservation are the Maya Biosphere Reserve and Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve, as they contain the largest blocks of suitable habitat. Within these areas, three jaguar conservation units have been identified that are considered able to maintain populations of over 50 jaguars over the long term. However, all of these areas are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. While conservation measures have been implemented, including protected area designations, threats such as illegal hunting and habitat destruction continue to endanger jaguar populations in Guatemala.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 5

    Status of the jaguar (Panthera onca) in

    Guatemala
    Texts: Rony Garca, Victor Hugo Ramos, Roan Balas McNab, Franklin Herrera, Jos Moreira & Gabriela
    Ponce e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] , [email protected],
    [email protected], [email protected],
    Translation: Franklin Herrera. Fauna. Vida Silvestre. CONAP.

    1. Distribution of population, suitable habitat and degree of its


    protection

    The first attempt to define jaguar distribution in Guatemala was conducted in year 1998
    (McNab & Polisar 2002). Through a rapid evaluation and a participatory method two areas
    were defined that retained a high probability of maintaining viable jaguar populations
    over the long-term; (a) Maya Biosphere Reserve MBR- and (b) the complex of protected
    areas including Sierra de las Minas, Sierra de Santa Cruz and Izabal Lake surrounding area
    (see fig 1).

    In that analysis, McNab and Polisar proposed investigation of localities where jaguars
    were rumored to exist, or land cover analyses suggested that jaguar populations might
    well be present. Subsequently, Estrada & Jurez (2003) confirmed the presence of jaguar
    in the Ro Sarstn area, and Hermes (2000) confirmed the presence of jaguar in Laguna
    Lachu. Currently, research is being promoted to evaluate the possibility of jaguar
    presence in Visis Caba (Amarilis Gmez, pers. comm.).

    Figure 1. Estimated distribution of jaguars in Guatemala. Taken from McNab & Polisar (2002) A participatory
    method for a rapid estimation of jaguar distribution in Guatemala.

    1
    In the year 2000, a comprehensive review of the state of the jaguar across its entire
    range entitled Jaguars of the New Milenium (Sanderson et al., 2000), and later Marieb
    (2006), three jaguar conservation units (JCUs; areas considered to have a good
    probability of containing populations of >50 jaguars 100 years into the future) were
    identified within Guatemala (Fig. 2). This conclusion differed from the original estimate
    of jaguar distributions from 1998 in that the Maya Biosphere Reserve block originally
    identified by McNab and Polisar had become two blocks due to habitat loss between
    Sierra del Lacandon National Park and Laguna del Tigre National Park.

    In addition to the three JCUs identified, five other sites in Guatemala were highlighted
    as containing important jaguar habitat, and contributing to JCUs in Mexico (1) or Belize
    (4) (indicated in the map below with a star).

    Lastly, Sanderson et al. (1999) and Marieb (2006) also proposed key jaguar corridors to
    assure the genetic flow between the Guatemala JCUs and the JCUs from Mxico, Belice
    and Honduras.

    Figure 2. Guatemalan Jaguar Conservation Units (WCS-Guatemala).

    2
    All three Guatemalan JCUs identified are located in protected areas declared by CONAP.
    However, it must be noted that no research has been conducted on the jaguar
    populations of the Sierra de las Minas JCU. At this point then, the proposition that a
    population of >50 jaguars exists in that area is somewhat speculative. In contrast,
    numerous jaguar studies have been undertaken in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, especially
    in the eastern JCU within the reserve. Due to their undeniable importance to jaguars, the
    MBR JCUs were ranked as the most important priorities for long-term jaguar
    conservation (i.e. Highest Priority JCU), as depicted on the map below). In contrast, the
    area of Sierra de las Minas was considered as Higher Priority JCU (Fig. 3)

    Figure 3. Updated Jaguar Conservation Units Under Prioritization Scheme (from Marieb 2003)

    Protection:

    The most intact JCUs within Guatemala is the eastern Maya Biosphere Reserve JCU, with
    both the Sierra de las Minas complex JCU, and the Sierra del Lacandon JCU increasingly
    subject to habitat conversion and fragmentation. However, despite the clear laws
    governing these protected areas, all JCUs in the country continue to lose jaguar habitat,
    both within community-managed areas and in national parks. Of particular concern is
    Laguna del Tigre National Park, the largest protected area in the country. Over 75% of
    the park has been colonized by ranchers and agriculturalists, making conservation goals
    in the area unviable.

    2. Viability of known breeding populations

    3
    In Guatemala, the Wildlife Conservation Society has estimated that the eastern Maya
    Biosphere Reserve easily contains the minimum number of 50 jaguars required to ensure
    population viability over the shortterm. It is suspected that at least 50 jaguars exist in
    the Sierra del Lacandon JCU. Estrada and Juarez (2003) used indirect methods and local
    interviews to estimate that a viable (i.e. >50) population of jaguars exist in the areas of
    Sarstn and Cerro San Gil, although this was highly speculative and should be regarded
    with caution. Lastly, Novack (2002), evaluated the viability o jaguars in the Laguna
    Lachua area of Alta Verapaz, concluding that the small population of jaguars there was
    unlikely to be viable over the long-term.

    3. Conservation measures that have been implemented to benefit the


    species

    The National Conceal for Protected Areas (CONAP) was created in 1989 by the Law of
    Protected Areas (Dec. 4-89). Since its creation more than 213 protected areas have been
    declared, including Maya Biosphere Reserve MBR- (consisting of 19% of the surface area
    of the country, in the Department of Petn, largely in lowland habitat located within the
    north of the country) and Sierra de Las Minas (central-northeast of the country). These
    two areas are crucial for the protection of jaguar habitat. In the year 2000, and later in
    2006, a list of the endangered species of Guatemala was published (Lista de Especies
    Amenazadas) included Jaguar in Index 2, indicating that its capture and manipulation
    could occur only for scientific purposes. Guatemala signed (1973) and ratified (1979) the
    CITES Convention, where the Jaguar is included in Appendix I.

    In the period between 2004 and 2007, Fundacin Defensores de la Naturaleza (FDN),
    Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) as well as Wildlife Conservation Society
    (WCS) and ARCAS, have conducted research on jaguar populations, focusing on
    abundance, habitat use, conflicts between jaguars and domestic animals, prey base and
    jaguar prey use, as well as potential corridors of the species. In year 2007 CONAP and
    this NGOs developed a meeting with livestock farmers to discuss research topics related
    to problems with jaguars.

    Presently, protection via ground patrols led by CONAP, the natural resource police
    (DIPRONA), and the Guatemalan Army occur within the MBR and occasionally in other
    protected areas. These efforts are however inadequate, and often ineffective due to
    their inconsistent nature. Despite this, however, the protection of both Yaxha National
    Park (CONAP), and Tikal National Park (IDAEH) can be counted as successes thus far.
    Asociacin Balam, WCS, and FDN have also spearheaded protection actions with the
    previously mentioned governmental partners, leading to more effective protection
    activities.

    Since 2005, the Wildlife Conservation Societys Guatemala Program has been
    implementing a education

    4
    guide focused on the jaguar entitled Jaguares para Siempre (Jaguars Forever, and
    educators tool kit for saving the Americas greatest cat) in schools in the Petn and
    Izabal.

    4. The status and trends of threats to the species.

    The jaguar in Guatemala is listed in the Index 2 of Guatemalas National Threatened


    Species List (Resol. SC/15-2006), which it means that manipulation of the species may
    occur only for scientific purposes. The main threats to the species are: illegal hunting of
    jaguar prey, forest fires, and most importantly habitat destruction and transformation
    resulting from uncontrolled agrarian expansion and cattle farming in protected areas and
    community forests theoretically managed for timber and non-timber forest products.

    In conclusion, Guatemala has designated 33% of its national territory as protected area of
    one type of another, providing an excellent contribution to the future conservation of
    jaguars in the Mesoamerican isthmus. The vast majority of this area however, is located
    within the Maya and the Sierra del las Minas Biosphere Reserves, making these blocks the
    most important areas for jaguar conservation in the country. Both areas however are
    suffering habitat loss, and jaguar populations that originally rebounded with the passage
    and ratification of CITES are increasingly threatened by the threats previously listed.

    References

    Estrada, C. & D. Jurez. 2003. Relaciones Interespecficas entre el jaguar y el humano en


    la costa atlntica guatemalteca. Mesoamericana 7(3):167.
    Hermes, M. 2004. Abundancia relativa de Jaguar (Panthera onca), Puma (Puma
    concolor) y Ocelote (Leopardus pardalis) en el Parque Nacional Laguna Lachu,
    Cobn, Alta Verapaz. Tesis para optar a titulo de Bilogo. Escuela de Biologa,
    Facultad de Ciencias Qumicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos de
    Guatemala. 91 pp.
    Marieb K. 2006. Jaguars in the New Millenium Data Set Update: The State of the Jaguars
    in 2006. A report prepared for Wildlife Conservation Societys Jaguar Conservation
    Program. 75 pp.
    McNab, R. & J. Polisar. 2002. Una metodologa participativa para una estimacin rpida de la
    distribucin del Jaguar (Panthera onca) en Guatemala. In: Medelln, R., C.
    Equihua, C. Chetkiewicz, P. Crawshaw, A. Rabinowitz, K. Redford, J. Robinson, E.
    Sanderson, A. Taber (Eds). El jaguar en el nuevo milenio. Fondo de Cultura
    Econmica, Universidad Autnoma de Mxico y Wildlife Conservation Society.
    Mxico. 73-90 pp.
    Novack, A. 2002. Desciption and critical assessment of habitat and connectivity in
    Municipio Chisec evaluating long-term viability for maintaining populations of
    jaguars. Technical report. 7 pp.
    Sanderson, E., K. Redford, C. Chetkiewicz, R. Medellin, A. Rabinowitz, J. Robinson, & A.
    Taber. 1999. Planning to save a species: the jaguar as a model. Conservation
    Biology 16(1):58-72.

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