Panama has joined a series of Latin American nations that have vowed to protect jaguar populations in the region. The country's National Environmental Authority (ANAM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the conservation group Panthera and the Mastozoological Society of Panama (SOMASPA) on June 27.
The signing signified the fifth jaguar conservation agreement made between Panthera and a Latin American nation, a press release by the conservation group stated. According to the release, "Through this agreement, Panthera and the government of Panama pledge to collaboratively implement conservation initiatives on behalf of the country's jaguars and their habitats within Panama's Protected Areas System."
In an exclusive interview with Latinos Post, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, CEO of Panthera, the world's leading wild cat conservation organization, and Dr. Esteban Payan, Regional Director of Panthera's Northern South America Jaguar Program, spoke on the agreement's importance and their work in Latin America.
Rabinowitz, who's worked on wild cat conservation sine 1979, told Latinos Post that the latest MOU signing with Panama is similar to the one signed with Guyana in January and came about after "years of work on the ground." According to Rabinowitz, Panthera has been working in Panama since 2006 in hopes of establishing where exactly the jaguar corridor is located in the country. The signing with the Panamanian government signifies Panthera's work in the country coming "full circle," Rabinowitz said.
The agreement comes with an action plan to further protect the jaguar population and establish a jaguar corridor, the conservationist said. Accurate estimates of the jaguar population cannot be made, Rabinowitz said, because there are "still tens of thousands" alive but still not as many as there should be. The animals have lost significant territory from Argentina up to southwestern United States, up to 50 percent of their range, the scientist estimated.
By setting up these jaguar corridors, which Rabinowitz explained were based on genetics, Pathera is able to work with locals to prevent the killing of jaguars as well as prevent jaguars from eating vulnerable livestock. "Many, many people don't know that they live in the jaguar corridor," he added.
Panthera then works to educate locals about what it means to live in the jaguar corridor and how it can be beneficial to their lives. The benefits may include more books for their students or a funded festival that boosts local traditions or even solar powered electricity. According to Payan, who is based in Colombia, while the group knows how to set up a jaguar corridor, it is implementing the corridor with the locals that proves to be most difficult.
Eventually, Payan said, locals realize that working alongside Panthera in establishing the corridor is a "win win." As for Panthera's work in Panama, the scientist said that Panthera will work with local agencies to help further protect jaguars as well setting up a group to work on the ground.
ANAM General Secretary, Geremías Aguilar, said that Panama looks to preserve the biodiversity and the jaguar population in the area. Aguilar stated, "It is a mammal of the utmost importance to the health of the environment."
"The loss of biodiversity due to unsustainable human developments is one of the most significant global environment threats in recent times," he continued. "This agreement intends to improve the survival condition of the jaguar, a species who represents the good health of Panamanian habitats."
According to Panthera, two more agreements with the governments of Belize and Brazil are currently under review. Rabinowitz added that agreements with Nicaragua and Guatemala are also in the works.