The jaguar is the largest feline on the American continent. It has been present since the earliest days of Mesoamerican cultures, and has been depicted in codices, murals, sculptures, vessels, architectural structures, masks, and rituals. There are jaguar warriors, jaguar children, shamans transformed into jaguars, and dances that portray the confrontation with this predator.
Today, the jaguar in Mexico is in danger of extinction. The Western region, which is home to 9% of the jaguar population in the country, faces serious threats to both the species and its habitat, including poaching and illegal trafficking, habitat fragmentation, and human-jaguar conflict. If these threats continue, the jaguar population in the region will decline by 50% within 20 years and could become extinct within 40 years.
To address this problem, FONNOR and the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) have been implementing the project Integrated Management of Jaguar Habitat Through Community Engagement in Western Mexico since 2017. The project –known as MiJO by its acronym in Spanish– is funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and seeks to involve, strengthen, and raise awareness among local communities in Western Mexico to enable informed decision-making and actions in favor of the jaguar and its habitat. The strategies include environmental education, monitoring of the jaguar and its prey, and the implementation of sustainable cattle ranching practices.
The project is currently in its third phase of implementation, under the title Coexistence Between Local Communities and the Jaguar in Western Mexico, it aims to enable communities living in the jaguar corridor in Western Mexico to coexist harmoniously with the species.
Archivo FONNOR
