With fewer than 300 individuals remaining across Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, the jaguar population in this biome is considered Critically Endangered. In the Iguaçu region, increased forest fragmentation and retaliatory killing due to livestock predation almost extinguished the species locally. Yara and Institute Pró Carnivores are fostering coexistence between people and these big cats to conserve the park’s rich biodiversity.

APEX PREDATOR

The jaguar is the largest feline in the Americas and plays a critical role as an apex predator, essential for maintaining ecological balance. They regulate prey populations, promoting biodiversity and ecosystem health. Their presence indicates healthy, functionally intact environments, which are vital for ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and climate regulation. Additionally, the jaguar is a flagship species for biodiversity conservation. Protecting jaguars also benefits other species, serving as an umbrella for the conservation of large landscapes.

POPULATION TRENDS

The Iguaçu National Park (INP), close to Brazil’s border with Argentina, comprises over 185,000 hectares of preserved area of Atlantic Forest. It is home to more than half a million people and houses a rich biodiversity of fauna and flora, including endangered species such as cougars, broad-snouted caiman and Paraná pine. In the 1990s, the jaguar population in this area dropped by 72%. This decline was primarily due to increased forest fragmentation and, more critically, the low abundance of natural prey caused by poaching. Over the past 10 years, with careful monitoring, the jaguar population in the region has been increasing, thanks to law enforcement efforts against poaching, changes in land use around the park, and ongoing conservation activities.

FEAR TO ADMIRATION

Many people fear jaguars, whether for their own lives or that of their livestock and the financial impact of predation. In INP, the main threat to jaguars is now hunting. This happens both as retaliation when they attack livestock and as incidental hunting through people entering the forest to hunt jaguars’ prey. Yara and her team provide advice on safety, promote good livestock management practices, and install anti-predation measures. They also work to change attitudes towards these big cats through public events and empowering women in local communities through income generation initiatives. The project is working to turn fear into fascination and admiration, from viewing jaguars as a threat to embracing them as a symbol of pride and ecological health. This transformation, driven by awareness and partnership, highlights the power of integrating local voices into conservation.

WITH THE WHITLEY AWARD, YARA AND HER TEAM WILL:

• Address all reports of predation by big cats and implement anti-predation measures on properties where predation occurs
• Train 250 stakeholders in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina to manage big cat conflict + Increase the number of women participating in alternative income generation programmes linked to jaguars including crocheting and jewellery production
• Reach 2,000 people in surrounding cities through engagement activities such as a Graffiti Jaguar programme to encourage tolerance of these big cats
• Carry out a jaguar census in Iguaçu National Park to estimate the species population

TOP FACTS:

• Since 2018, Yara and her team have conducted 1,996 visits to 258 properties that reported a jaguar sighting or predation event.
• Jaguars are considered an icon of Iguaçu National Park, and they are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site’s logo.
• Iguaçu National Park (INP) is home to more than 390 species of birds, 750 butterfly species, 158 mammal species and 2,000 species of plants.